


Suicide Squad Vsn 2.0

by 0Blaze0



Category: Suicide Squad (2016)
Genre: Different plot from the movie, F/M, Joker's Son, M/M, Minor Joker/Harley, OC/OC - Freeform, Suicide Squad vs The Joker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 05:42:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 31,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8238052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0Blaze0/pseuds/0Blaze0
Summary: What if the Squad was sent to a different mission? One where they had to destroy all illegal gun manufacturing in the US? What happens when they get in the way of Joker's weapons dealer, his son Jester? Will Harley choose to be loyal to them or to her Puddin'? [My version of the movie. I don't own anything! Just my lovely OC Jester!]





	1. The Meeting

   

  "Hello, again." The doctor smiled. Her patient didn't answer,or move, even. It worried her since she knew how much of a talker he was. This patient was a feisty one. Always making passive aggressive remarks, snapping at the guards, he even bit some flesh off one he apparently 'wasn't quite fond of.' The doctor highly doubted she'll pull a Harley Quinn, but she admits this teen was the most fascinating patients she's dealt with. "How was your morning?"

 

        "Boring, really." Her patient answered casually. He looked up, his shocking blue eyes he got from his father shining with mischief. "Though I did hear some local gossip." The teen continued. Dr. Carrier watched in fascination as he babbled on. Tattoos could be seen on his upper cheek and another peeking just above his strait jacket. The tattoo on his cheek saying a date: 09.07.06. "I heard a new patient was coming here to fill in Auntie Pam's old cell since she escaped. The voices say it's someone new."  
        "I'm not allowed to confirm that." She stalled. The raven haired teen pouted. Dr.Carrier shivered, the Asylum never bothered with heating or nice cells. The room was small, square, and painfully blank. 

  
        "Aw, that sucks! Couldn't you bend the rules? You're my favourite doctor, y'know. Dr. Leland is a big bore. What do ya say? For your favourite patient?" He batted his lashes childishly.

  
        "I'm sorry, Jesse-"

  
        "Jester." He corrected irritably, his childish demeanor vanished. A frightening glare aimed at the doctor. She scribbled in her notebook 'Possibly bipolar'. "My name is Jester."

  
        "I'm sorry, Jester. I'm afraid I cannot tell you. It is classified information." 

  
        "Damn. Well, I tried."

  
        "But I do have some visitors for you." Jester's eyes lit up.

  
        "Is it Mum? Or Dad?" He gasped lightly, "Is it Auntie Pam?"

 

        "No." His face dropped. "It's someone else. But before I bring them in you have to promise me one thing."

  
        "I won't kill them. Cross my heart and all that jazz." He promised, though the doctor didn't like the grin he was sporting.

  
        "One more thing: stay still for as long as you can." She smiled, trying to look calm and reassuring like they taught her in college. "Like the game you play with the other doctors." Jester paled, baring his teeth.

  
        "Maybe I don't want to play that game." He snapped, hiding his nerves flawlessly from lots of practice. What were these visitors going to do this time? Most of them hide behind glass walls, observing him with wide eyes while others poked and prodded, asking odd questions and whispering to one another. Either way, someone would walk away with a bitten hand.

  
        Before the doctor could answer, men in helmets and full armor busted in. They held Jester down as quickly as they could, though one got bit on the arm and another was taken down with a sharp kick in the gut. The teen was putting up a good fight especially with his strait jacket. They gagged his mouth, "Jesus Christ!" Belle Reve's head guard, Griggs, bent down to the teen's level. "You're as feisty as your hot step-mom. I like you already!"

  
        Jester growled through the gag, twisting in his restraints. Rage burned in his eyes.

        "Don't prompt him." Dr.Carrier insisted. Her words fell on deaf ears. 

  
        "Don't you worry, Doc. I deal with these sort of people everyday. You can leave now." With a hesitant glance at her patient, she shuffled out the room. Griggs smacking her ass on her way out. She sent him a glare. "Now, pick a flavor, kiddo. You know what? You look like a strawberry type of guy."

  
        He was thrashing in his restraints now, seeing the drugs and needle. Oh, fuck no. The other guards laughed at his squirming. Griggs injected it his neck, making sure to do it slowly. Jester grunted loudly, his gaze already turning hazy. The last thing he heard was Griggs saying,

  
        "Agent Waller wanted us to drug him up before injecting the tracker 'cause he's still underaged. Can't have him uncomfortable on his field trip, can we?" 

  
        The guards were quite worried about Griggs, he was quiet, which is suspicious already. He didn't mock the inmates, or flirt (harass) any of the female guards. Hell, he barely even glanced at them! But they waved it off, assuming it was just a bad day. So, they didn't notice when he slipped a phone into Harley's hand.   
  
        "You gonna tell Mr.J I treated ya well, right Harley?" He asked sweetly. Harley cackled.  
  
        "You're so screwed!" She laughed. Her Puddin' was coming for her. And he gets what he wants. He's gonna kill everyone here, save her, then she, Puddin', and Pumpkin can be a family again. She let out another laugh.  
  
        "Harley! What do you mean?! Harley!" Cried Griggs, but she was too far away to answer. Not like she would, anyway.  
  
        Rick Flag, the appointed leader of the squad, growled at his 'team'. If only Amanda had listened to him, he could've had a proper team with morals, not this band of freaks. For Christ's sake, there's a crocodile who eats people! He scanned the prison yard, keeping an eye out for the others outside the prison.  It was only him and them. Can't have people finding about their little band and spread rumors.  
  
        Captain Boomerang joined the party after a bit of trouble, but nothing Rick couldn't handle. He made note to keep a closer eye on the Aussie.  
  
        "Here comes Slipknot, the man who can climb anything. Wonderful." He muttered to himself. A Native man stepped out of the car. Though he couldn't hear what the lady said, Slipknot found it very offensive and punched her in the mouth. He could hear Deadshot exclaim, "Damn!" in the back.  
  
        Slipknot turned to them, saying simply, "She had a mouth." The blonde in the back cackled. He checked his watch, one more left. Rick read the kid's file, he never would've thought someone so young be so... insane. And he wasn't talking about the chick.  
  
        "What was that?" Exclaimed the ex-phsyciatrist, "I should kill everyone and esca- Pumpkin!"   
          
        She rushed over to the figure in the wheelchair. It was the kid,  Rick realized. He almost didn't recognize him. A muzzle- like Croc's- covered half his face. He was constricted by a strait jacket, but you could clearly see his chest huffing. He was laughing.   
  
        Rick nodded over to Jester's escorts, who looked half dead. He feels bad for them. Having to handle the insane teenager must be tiring.   
  
        "Release him." Rick ordered. Instantly, two guards went down before they could contain him.   
  
        "You're all gonna die! I'm gonna burn all of you! Except you, " He nodded to El Diablo with a wide grin, "I think I'm gonna keep you."  
  
        El Diablo didn't answer, though he wore an expression between flattered and confused.   
  
        "Pumpkin!" Harley rushed over to her stepson with a matching grin. Jester instantly brightened.  
  
        "Mum!"  
  
        "Oh, I've missed you so much, Pumpkin! Have they been treating you well at the Asylum? Just look at you! You've gotten so tall!" Harley almost seemed like a regular mom.   
  
        "Hold up. She's your Mom? She looks young enough to be your sister!" Claimed Deadshot. Croc grunted in agreement.   
  
        "Alright, listen up! Inside your necks,  the explosive you got: it's a nanite explosive.  It's the size of a rice grain but it's as powerful as a hand grenade." Everyone touched their necks subconsciously. Rick continued,  "You disobey me, you die. You try to escape,  you die.  You irritate or vex me..." Jester's hand shot up in the air. Rick glared,  though that didn't stop him from speaking.   
  
        "I know the answer! Do we die?" He asked like a child in class.   
  
        Harley's hand also shot up, "I'm known for being quite vexing. I'm just forewarning you."   
  
        "You two, shut up!" Rick shouted.  Floyd chuckled as Harley gave a pout. "This is the deal. You're going somewhere very bad doing something that will get you killed. But until that happens, you're my problem!" The criminals already didn't like him. Floyd was already putting his name on his hitlist while Croc was thinking how he'd taste.   
  
        "So was that some kind of pep talk?" Floyd asked gruffly. Rick met his gaze with a challenging glare.   
  
        "Yeah, that was your pep talk." Rick replied,  he turned to the others with the same glare, "Grab what you need for the flight. We're wheels up in ten."   
  
        "You might wanna work on your team motivation thing. You ever heard of Phil Jackson? He's like the gold standard. Triangle bitch. Study." They both stared for a minute,  challenging the other to stand down. Until Rick stomped off, the rest of the soldiers marching after him.   
  
        Everyone spread to their separate boxes. Everyone could hear Harley's squeals of joy at the sight of her clothes.   
  
        Floyd eyed his white mask silently. It's been a while since he put this thing on.   
  
        "Won't fit anymore?" Harley asked, "Too much junk in the trunk?"   
  
        Floyd shook his head slightly, "Nah, every time I put this on, somebody dies."  
  
        "And?"  
  
        "I like putting it on."  
  
        Diablo silently ruffled through his stuff. There wasn't much in his box. Most of his stuff was destroyed in the fire.  He felt his stomach drop. The fire...   
  
        "Did it hurt?" A small voice asked behind him. Diablo turned, coming face to face with the kid from earlier. What is with this kid and why can't he leave him alone?   
  
        "What hurt?" Diablo questioned. Jester tapped his eyelids.   
  
        "Your tattoos, silly!" He giggled, "It must've hurt getting them!"   
  
        Diablo studied his face. He caught sight of Jester's tattoos and the piercings. The parent side of him disapproved of them. Someone as young as Jester shouldn't have so many piercings and tattoos. Though he's not one to talk.  
  
        "It hurt a little." He answered hesitantly. Jester nodded, stalking off to his own box. Diablo stared with furrowed brows. Seriously, what's wrong with this kid?   
  
        "A lil' tyke like you shouldn't be playin' with the big boys." Mocked Digger. Jester growled, looking up at the man. Jess was a good head shorter than Digger was and it only boosted Digger's ego more. Nothing good can come from this.  
  
        "I think I'll kill you first." Jester threatened. That's when Diablo decided to step in.   
  
        "No one's killing anybody." He said calmly.   
  
        "Hey what's that shit on your face? Does it wash off?" Digger asked, almost teasingly. Harley stifled a giggle behind Floyd.   
  
        "Y'all leave homeboy alone. He could torch this whole joint. Ain't that right, amigo?" Floyd said, brows raised.   
  
        "Don't worry 'bout me. I'm cool, homie." Diablo answered.   
  
        The guards ushered (shoved) them to the meeting point where Flag was waiting for them, tablet in hand.  
  
        "Behold, the voice of God." He said flatly, lifting up the tablet for them to see. Amanda Waller came on the screen with her signature scowl.  
  
        "For those who don't know me officially, my name is Amanda Waller. Midway City has been taken over by a illegal gun manufacturer company called GAT. I want you to enter the city, rescue HVT1 and get them to safety. From there, you follow HVT1's orders." Amanda ordered. Floyd, being the silently appointed leader of the criminals, spoke up,  
  
        "I'm sorry, uh, for those of us who don't speak good guy, what's HVT1?" He asked.  
  
        "The only person that matters in the city. The only person you can't kill. Complete the mission you get time off your prison sentences, fail the mission you die. Anything happens to Colonel Flag and I kill every single one of you." Everyone went silent, contemplating the new rules set out for them. "Remember, I'm watching. I see everything." Waller's face disappeared from the screen.  
  
        "There's your pep talk." Rick said, setting the tablet to the side.  
  
        "Compared to yours, she killed it." Floyd replied. He looked around, scanning his now dubbed 'teammates'. "So, that's it? We're some kind of suicide squad."  
  
        "I'll notify your next of kin." Flag said before he entered the plane. Floyd groaned, begrudgingly shuffling after the rest. 'This is going to be fun.'He thought to himself. Something poked at his back. He turned his head to see that kid from earlier.   
  
        "If it makes ya feel any better, I like the name!" Jester chuckled, walking ahead.   
  
        Floyd shook his head. Yep, so fun.


	2. HVT1

        "You're green." Jester stated. Croc grunted, nodding his head. Jesse gave him a large grin. "I like that."  
  
        The ride to Midway City certainly wasn't smooth. The plane stopped abruptly, landing in, what looks to be, another military base. A short, Asian woman stepped onto the plane, sharp eyes scanning each of them suspiciously as she gripped her sword.  
  
        "You're late." Rick drawled. The woman gave an explanation in a language the others couldn't understand. He gestured to the lady. "This is Katana. She's got my back. She can cut all of you in half with one sword stroke just like mowing the lawn. I would suggest not getting killed by her. Her sword traps the souls of her victims."  
  
        "Harley Quinn. Nice ta' meetcha'." Harley beamed, "Love ya' perfume! What is that, the stench of death?" She giggled. Katana growled something in Japanese, pulling out her sword in one swift movement.  
  
        "Easy there, cowgirl! It ain't that kind of mission. Sit down." Rick gestured to the seat beside him. Casting one last look at the criminals, she sheathed her sword, taking the empty seat.  
  
        Jester turned to the men beside him. "I like her." He smiled. Digger laughed.   
  
        "You an' me, both, lil' tyke." The Aussie agreed. The plane gave a sudden jolt, and they were up in the air again. "Ey, what's your superpower, by tha' way? I haven' seen any sort o' special ability from you all mornin'!"  
  
        "What? You mean me?" Jester gestured(lol) to himself.  
  
        "Yeah, you. There's me, Slippy here ca' make knots like a boy scout. The fire bloke. Crocodile ova' there. Hotness ova' 'ere has a magic sword. He can shoot things an' your mummy is hot 'n' crazy." He gestured over to Harley, who glared in return. "What 'bout you, lil' tyke?"  
  
        Jester tapped his chin in thought, looking over exaggerated. "Well, I'm an illegal arms dealer, Mum taught me how to fight and Dad taught me how to shoot so I'm just as good as they are. I should also mention that I own the biggest weapons trade in Gotham. Does that count as something?" He smiled, looking around at all the shocked faces. "You shouldn't underestimate youth these days." He winked.  
  
        "That still doesn't change the fact that you're a kid." Countered Diablo, "What're you doing, Flag? Dragging kids into the battle field don't seem like you."  
  
        Rick shrugged. "Agent Waller's orders. 'Sides, he's gonna turn eighteen in a couple months. Soon enough, he'll be in Belle Reve living in your neighboring cell."  
  
        That's when Jester cackled, "We'll see 'bout that, Ricky."  
  
        The helicopter jolted, shakily stumbling it's way out of orbit. Everyone held on for dear life as everything went crashing down. Then black.  
  
...  
  
        "What a ride!" Harley exclaimed gleefully, hopping out of the partly burning chopper. The rest of the squad followed soon after. Rick said something to his radio, gesturing to the deserted city. Jester brushed the dust off his red and black checkered suit jacket casually, as if he wasn't just in a fatal helicopter crash.  
  
        "Let's go!" Flag barked.  
  
        The city was a disaster to say the least. Buildings were on fire, no on was around, though there was the occasional criminal lurking around a jewelry store. They paid no mind to the band of criminals, too intimidated. They knew who was in that group. And they were smart enough not to cause a scene with the inmates. Jester scanned their group, picking his target. 'Now to see if it's a bluff or not.' He thought. The arms dealer slid up to Slipknot and Boomerang, leaning over to whisper, "It's a bluff."  
  
        "Tha' bomb in our necks, crap?" Boomer questioned. He nodded, holding back a smirk.  
  
        "I've spent years owning a _weapons company._  I would've been the first to know about this so-called, 'nanite bomb' thingy whatever. Trust me." Though Jester hated to admit it, the government hides their secrets well. He had absolutely no idea about this new technology. He'd have to look into it once he breaks out. He glances at the two others who're forming a plan, if he can get out, that is.  
  
        "Okay, here's wha' we do. The tyke'll take down Flag while I get rid of the sheila with the sword. Slippy, if anythin' goes wrong, you tie 'em up before they get ta' explode our faces if it really is real. Alrigh'?" The other two nod, moving into positions. Jester almost scoffed aloud at the plan. Did Digger really think Slipknot's going to back them up and not escape for himself? Ridiculous.   
  
        "One, two, three... Go!" Digger whispered. Jester stood smugly beside Flag, watching the scene take place. Digger failed almost instantly to take down Katana (not that he expected any different), while Slipknot attached one of his ropes to a top building, slipping away before Rick could get a shot in. Growling in frustration, the squad leader pulled out a device with all the criminals' mugshots. He pressed Slipknots, a big  **BANG!**  echoed from above. What was left of Slipknot was a headless body.  
  
        Deadshot gave a low whistle. "Killer app!" Harley exclaimed. Digger broke out of Katana's grip, coming at the crazed teen with an outraged roar.  
  
        "You set me up, mate." He snarled. Jesse raised his hands in surrender, the smirk he hid so well earlier growing on his face. Digger's hands wrapped around his throat, but that didn't stop a wheezed laugh to escape the teen's lips.  
  
        "At least you didn't die. And now we know if they're really bluffing or not! A 'thank you' would be appreciated." Jester grinned. Digger shoved him away, mouth open in what sounded like a chuckle.  
  
        "You're insane." Shaking his head, he walked after Rick.  
  
        "Aw, shucks. You're making me blush."  
  
        "Everyone, shut up! I don't mind blowing anyone's head off if they try to break the rules again. Who's next? Are you next?" Rick paced in front of the criminals, stabbing an accusing finger in Diablo's direction.  
  
        "You're tripping, homie." Rick stomped up to Floyd, his anger screaming with each step.   
  
        "Are you next, Deadshot?"  
  
        "Did you just threaten me?" Floyd turned to the others like he couldn't believe it. "He just threatened me." He repeated with a smirk. The hitman pointed at Rick's head in a silent warning. They started to walk again, tension thick in the air, now with less people than they started.  
  
        The entire city was dead silent. The only thing heard is Harley and Deadshot conversing under their breaths. Diablo still couldn't get the limp body of Slipknot out of his head. It's not the dead body that was haunting him, he's had too much experience than he should when it comes to dead bodies. The thing that was bothering him was that it was probably going to happen to the ex-gangbanger as well. And most likely the same fate is waiting for the other prisoners surrounding him. What makes them believe Waller won't just kill them after she's done with them? That in the end, they're just gonna end up like Slipknot?  
  
        "You good?" Croc growled from beside him. Diablo snapped from his daze, turning towards the man. They had formed a small understanding for the need of silence. Diablo might even call it an acquaintanceship between the two.  
  
        "Fine." The Spanish man grunted. The 'duo' fell back into a comfortable silence. Croc shuffled closer to the others, who were huddled together behind a car while Rick led the other few soldiers with 'morals' closer. Diablo couldn't help but be suspicious. If they were all huddled like that, it won't mean anything good.  
  
        "I like these odds, mate. Just say the word." Boomerang told Deadshot. Jester nodded, giving him a cheery thumbs up.  
  
        "Come on!" Harley groaned, her arm lazily resting on Floyd's shoulder.  
  
        "Yeah, um, hold that thought." He said, eyes on the soldiers in front of him. They're was quite a riot in front of them. What could have possibly happened now? He put on his eye lens to see Rick being held at gunpoint by an estranged criminal. Oh, shit. "Flag's being held at gunpoint." Floyd hissed. Sounds of happiness came from the others.  
  
        "Good riddance!" Harley exclaimed.  
  
        "Oh thank God, I was just about to kill him myself." Added Jester,  
  
        "Alrigh'! I think this is really turnin' 'round for us!" Boomer praised. Croc growled in agreement.  
  
        "What's going on?" Diablo asked. Jester grinned.  
  
        "Mr. American Rights is being held at gunpoint. I give it three minutes before he bleeds red, white, and blue all over the pavement." Jesse answered cheerfully. The tattooed man gasped.  
  
        "Didn't Waller say..." He trailed off, "We need to save him."   
  
        "Oh come on, mate. Don' act like you're alluva sudden some kinda superhero or somethin'. " Digger argued. Floyd shook his head.   
  
        "Flameboy's right. He dies, we die. Remember?" The man said. Harley rolled her eyes, reluctantly being the first one to go save their patriotic leader. The boys followed after a few stubborn arguments.   
  
        "No one move! Or I shoot him! Y'hear me?! He dies!" The red faced man screamed, shaking with adrenaline as he pressed the gun harder against Rick's skull.The soldiers stood frozen at their spots, terrified of losing their leader. Fortunately, some were braver than others.  
  
        "'Scuse me, it seems that you have our leader. Can you give him back, please? He's ours." Jester asked politely, sounding too sweet to be genuine. 'What am I? Some sort of toy?' Rick thought. The solider shook away from his thoughts as he heard the safety click off.  
  
        "You're J-Jester Quinn." He stuttered. Jester nodded.  
  
        "That's right!" The insane teen confirmed cheerfully. More criminals began to surround Rick and the man, becoming confident. They almost couldn't catch sight of their leader, who was stuck in the middle of the mob of (other) criminals. The man at the front of the crowd laughed.  
  
        "Well ain't this our lucky day, boys?" He chuckled, the others following action. "Mister J put quite the price on your head to bring you back to him. That includes his bitch, too."   
  
        "D'aw, Puddin's so sweet!" Harley swooned. Jester narrowed his eyes, taking a step forward.  
  
        "I won't go anywhere with you while you have my toy." He demanded. Rick glowered. 'So he does think of me as a toy'. Deadshot took another step forward, purposely ignoring the guns aimed at him from both sides.   
  
        "Pipsqueak's right. Give him back."  The shooter ordered. The man never lowered his gun. Grinning, he looked to his men.  
  
        "Get the boy and blondie. Kill the rest." He ordered.  
  
        "I don't think so." Harley pulled out her shotgun, but instead of aiming it at the man, she pointed it at herself.

        "What are you doing?" Katana asked. The other woman shot her a pointed look that said:  **trust me.**  
  
        She looked back at Rick and the man, tapping what looked to be a tune, on her thigh. "I'd hate for my Puddin' to find his girlfriend dead 'cause a certain someone didn't give her what she wanted." She purred, a smirk resting on her lips.  
  
        Croc shivered despite himself. He's got to give credit to the blonde, she can be fucking terrifying when she chose to. The metahuman took note to never piss her off.  Harley's bright eyes were wide with excitement, adrenaline, and insanity. Not once did she move away her pistol.  
  
        "You better put down that gun, bitch." The red faced man growled.  
  
        "Then you should learn that I don't like sharing my toys. Hand him over." She ordered. 

        No one dared move their fingers off their respective triggers. Tension was thick in the air while the leader was making a decision. After moments of hesitance, he shoved Rick back to their side and everything went to hell.  
  
        Shots, throwing knives, and even a couple boomerangs went flying in every direction, people from each side dropping like flies. The squad attacked, minus Diablo and Digger, who ran off in a click of a beer can. Croc ripped them apart piece by piece, having a little nibble from each opponent as he did so. Harley, in all her crazed glory, swung her bat like the was no tomorrow. Even going as far as beating up the already dead ones as Deadshot killed most of them in a perfect headshot. Heads were cut off (courtesy of Katana), very few were injured, as most of them were dead. While Jester impeded knife after knife in the criminals.  The soldiers didn't do as much damage as everyone else, they nicked off a couple numbers.  
  
        "That was fun." Croc chuckled, "And tasty." The soldiers recoiled in disgust.  
  
        "You are just a nasty bastard." Rick grimaced.  
  
        "Excuse me, but we just saved your ass. You should be thankful." Deadshot said. Flag scoffed, heading to the route they were walking before.  
  
        "I'm only thankful to the ones with the right intentions. If you didn't have your lives depending on mine, you would've left me for dead."  
  
        "Because you're an asshole!" Jester countered.  Rick ignored him.  
  
        "Let's move out!"  
  
        The rest of the way went smoothly as it could go with ragtag group of criminals. Anyone who crossed their paths stayed away. Who would come close to the large group of wanted criminals and soldiers stained with still warm blood?  
  
        "It's too bad you didn't get to use your powers." Jester said. Diablo said nothing, shaking his head at the teen.  
  
        "Trust me, chico. It's better this way." He answered, waving his hand. A wave of fire followed after. Jester shrugged.  
  
        "Whatever you say, Mister."   
  
...  
  
        "Hey Flag. This guy better cure cancer when this shit is over." Floyd grunted. Rick rolled his eyes, entering the room alone. That left the criminals to their own devices.  
  
        "Who is that?" Katana asked curiously. She pointed to the little boy in Boomerang's picture. Digger jumped away in fright.  
  
        "Jesus Christ, Darl'! You gave me a heart attack!" The Aussie exclaimed. She didn't answer, repeating her question.  
  
        "Who was that?'  
  
        Digger glanced down at the old photo as well. "Tha' one's my son, Owen."  
  
        "You have a son?" He laughed.  
  
        "No one woulda guessed, eh? I can barley take care of myself, let alone this anklebiter." He let out another empty laugh. Katana didn't say anything, keeping the silence. Gunshots could be heard from the room. He turned to her, "Y'mind no' tellin' the others, Darl'?"  
  
        "Fine, and don't call me that." She warned, stalking off to the exit in case anyone gets any ideas while Rick's retrieving Waller. Questions about Digger still lingered in her head. Why would Digger want to hide his son from the others? She heard the Aussie chuckle.  
  
        "Sure thing, Darl'."  
  
        The last thing they had expected to come through the door was Amanda Waller, their "boss". They thought she'd be hiding, watching them behind a screen like most cowardly commanders. But if there was anything Amanda wasn't was, it was a coward. Following her were Rick and Dr. June Moone, Deadshot shuffled close behind them, brows furrowed in annoyance.  
  
        Everyone stood up in surprise, forming a small circle around the small woman.  
  
        "I have your mission." Amanda informed, "The band of criminals that took over the city are hiding in one place: A weapons factory. Owned by a man named Adelram Mahzun."  
  
        "Adalaine who?" 

        "Adelram." Jester spat coldly, "A total bastard. He works for my father and Dad's only arms dealer other than me. The old man taught me everything I know about weapons dealing. Can't stand him."  
  
        "That's where you come in Jester." Amanda continued, "You and Harley go in there, collect information on his other dealings and partnerships."The mother and son grew more and more doubtful with each word. "Boomerang, Killer Croc, and Katana will be there posing as 'bodyguards' and will be your backup if anything goes wrong. Deadshot, you'll be in the upper building as our sniper. While you're doing that, Flag and Dr. Moone go under the building in the sewer to set up a bomb. We'll signal you when you need to get out."   
  
        "Are you crazy?" Harley asked loudly, "That's suicide!"  
  
        "She's right." Jester agreed, "Adelram is under Dad's protection as long as he supplies him. If you attack him, you're automatically Joker's enemy. You don't want that, trust me."   
  
        "I've made a lot of enemies." said Amanda, "Adding one more to the list won't make a difference."  
  
        "Well, I'm not gonna betray my Puddin'. Kill me if ya want, I'm not doin' it." Harley huffed. Amanda's stone cold faces turned into a smug one. Not good.  
  
        "What if your stepson's life was on the line?" She held up a device like Rick's. "One press of a button is all it takes. Don't test me."  
  
        Harley tugged her stepson behind her instinctively, "Don't drag Jesse into this." She hissed. Amanda shrugged helplessly, her finger still lingering over Jester's mugshot.  
  
        "Then you need to cooperate, Miss Quinn."  
  
        Harley growled, but didn't answer. 'So, that's why Digger doesn't want them to know about his son.' Katana thought. The rest stayed silent, not daring to interrupt. Waller nodded.  
  
        "So, no on has any disagreements to the plan?" No one answered, "Good."  
  
        Amanda exited the room, making sure to bump into Croc on the way out.  
  
        Harley nudged her stepson, passing him the phone Griggs gave her. On it was a message, bold and in all caps.  
  
 **JOKER:**  
  
        GET READY.


	3. You Can't Wake Up

JOKER:

GET READY.

Jester flashed his mother a smile. Nodding his head, the two followed after the others. Before they could enter the stairway, the crazed teen caught sight of his stepmother's back. A long scar stretched from Harley's spine to her hip. His stomach dropped.

"Who gave you that scar?" He questioned. The blonde shrugged, waving it off like it was just a paper cut.

"You know how your Daddy gets when he's angry." She shook her head. That only made his stomach drop even more. How could she just wave it off like that?

"Mum..."  
"Don't you 'Mum' me, Pumpkin." The pale woman warned, "I don't want to hear it."

Jester bit his lip, watching as she ran up the stairs to catch up with the others. The voices in his head were whispering different things, all connected to his mother. Worry gnawed at his mind, almost taking over completely. With a defeated sigh, he trudged up the long staircase.

"Heya!" Harley greeted cheerfully. Deadshot grunted back in greeting.

"How's it going, Dollface?" He asked.

"These guys are really startin' to be a real pain in the ass." The blonde growled. He chuckled.

"They were a pain in the ass from the start." Despite how casual the woman was trying to be, Floyd was deceptive. He caught sight of Harley fidgeting with the phone in her hand, how she turned it on every few seconds. 

"You waiting for something?" 'Or someone?' Floyd added silently. She winked.

"That's a secret!" She put her finger to her lip, shushing him. 'What an interesting character.' He couldn't help but think. Harley giggled, hopping up the stairs to talk to Croc.

"Hey." A quiet voice said from behind him. Floyd turned to see Jester, who was being uncharacteristically quiet. If Floyd knew anything about the kid, it was that he was never quiet. He rose his brows in question. "You and my Mom seem really close."

Alarms went off in Deadshot's head. "Woah there, Pipsqueak. We're just-"

"I don't mean it like that. It's just..." Jester sighed, checking behind him as if he was waiting for someone to jump at them. The teen looked back at him, tapping a small tune on his leg. "Maybe you can convince her to leave my Dad." He whispered.

"Why would I do that? And why would you want her to leave your Father?"

"I just-" He huffed, "I have my reasons, which I'm not gonna say. You're her friend, she'll probably listen to you. She won't listen to me. Please."

Questions zoomed in and out of Floyd's head, though one shone through the others: why? 

"I'll try, Kid. No promises."

"Thank you."  
...  
"Your son." Boomer jumped, almost tumbling down the stairs in fright. Crying out a curse and catching himself, he turned to see Katana. He stood at his spot, Croc and Diablo passing by the two. They didn't spare a glance at the two foreigners.

"Shit, Darl'! You gotta stop doin' tha'!" He fumbled. The Asian looked unaffected, gesturing to the photo hidden in his front pocket.

"Does your son know you're a criminal?"

"I-" He paused, "Nah, he keeps askin' his Mum to see me. He's too young understand."

The Asian didn't answer, eyes clouded in memories. They lagged to the back of the group, keeping their voices low. Can't have the others overhearing. Even worse, Waller.

"Does he visit you?" She asked, almost hesitantly, seeing the somber expression on Digger's face. She took it as a silent 'No.' The Australian shook his head, sighing.  
"Even if he could, I wouldn't let 'im." He admitted. The woman's brows shot up.

""Sides, when Owen's a man and he finds out wha' I do... He'll regret wanting to visit. Just savin' him the trouble."

Katana snapped at his words. Pulling out her sword, she pinned him to the wall all in one swift movement. The sword pressed up against the man's neck. Digger put up his hands in surrender. 

"You have a child, who is alive. There are some who do not have that luxury." She hissed, slowly sheathing her sword. Katana backed away from the man, turning around and attempting to catch up with the others. He stared at her back, speechless. He shook himself. 

"Hey! Wait righ' there!" He yelled, "You got a boyfriend?"  
...  
"Savior One-Zero, this is ground element." Rick said into his radio. Still, no one answered. The villans lounged around the rooftop. A helicopter was being sent to escort Amanda to the evacuation centre, where she'll give orders from there. 'Guess I was wrong,' Jester thought, 'Waller really is a coward. She's just very good at hiding it.'

"Savior One-Zero how copy. Ma'am, they're not responding." He turned to his boss. Waller's brain churned as calculations whirred. She looked back at the band of criminals she put together. 

"Flag, whatever happens, you complete the mission I assigned. That's an order." She growled. Flag furrowed his brows, yet nodded anyway. The chopper was right in front of them now. Rick went stiff, eyes wide.

"Our Bird's been jacked! Light it up!" He ordered. Immediately after the words left the captain's lips, shots fired. The rest took for cover. Harley, Deadshot, and Croc crouched behind an vent while Katana, Boomer, Dr. Moone and Diablo hid in the stairway. Amanda and Jester sat behind the other vent. Rick stood at the front of the many soldiers. The hijacked chopper started to shoot back. Floyd breathed in the lovely scent of gun powder, his favourite scent.

JOKER:  
NOW!

'Don't do it.' Floyd begged her silently when he read the message himself. 'She's going to get herself killed.'

The blonde ignored the looks shot from her friend. With no fear evident on her face, she stood up, turned to her son and yelled, 

"Let's go, Pumpkin!" She turned back to the chopper that held her Puddin', sprinting to one of the two ropes tossed down for them. 

Jester caught sight of Harley sprinting, grinning to himself. 'About time.' He thought. The ravenhead stood up to follow his mother. "Don't move." He heard the familiar click of a gun's safety switching off. His whole body froze. He slowly turned his head to see Amanda Waller, his personal life ruiner.

"You bitch!" He snarled, though he didn't move. Jester watched helplessly as his parent's took off without him. Amanda passed him to another soldier, who looked uncomfortable holding a gun to a teen's head.

"Deadshot, kill her right now." Amanda commanded. Floyd's eyes drifted over to Jester. They met eyes. The elder man saw man things flash through the teenager's eyes: desperation, frustration, sadness... Feelings Floyd is sad to say he is greatly familiar with. He felt those storm of emotions the day he would've killed the Bat.

"You want me to kill her in front of her own kid?" He questioned. Damn, this bitch really was, well... a bitch. Everyone stayed speechless, even Rick. Despite her insanity, she saved the captain's life. He owed her something.

"Then do it for your kid." She bargained. Deadshot still felt reluctant to do so. His stomach twisted the more he hastily weighed the pros and cons. It was odd, this was one the only times he's had trouble being hired to kill someone. He's gone soft. 

"Floyd, please. Please, don't do it." Jesse begged, weakly tugging at the soldier's grip. His knees were shaky, lungs constricted. He felt tears stream down his face. 'What's this feeling?' He wondered in the back of his head. The voices in his head were yelling now. 'Save her! Save her!' They screamed. 

"I'll listen to your conditions. Your daughter gets the top schooling and she'll be in your full custody, No Darnell." Amanda would be damned if she let one of her puppets get away from her, especially when they're not done doing her bidding. 

Wordlessly, Deadshot rested his gun against the vent, ignoring the teen's desperate screaming. He fired, and Jesse's voices went silent. The teens knees buckled as he saw Harley go limp on the rope. The soldier was the only thing keeping him from hitting the floor.

"Wha-" He rasped, "Why did you- I thought... You were her friend! I-" Jesse stopped sharply, staring as Harley, who miraculously sprang up. Apparently, back from the dead. 

"Whoops," Floyd said nonchalantly," I missed."

The hitman nodded once to Jester, who looked like he was about to pass out. His face was pale, more than usual. He breathed in and out at a irregular pace. Though he mustered up the strength to send a thankful smile to the man. Jester owed him, big time.

"Good one, Mate!" Digger exclaimed, everyone nodding in agreement. Rick silently agreed. She may be crazy, but she was never bad enough to be killed in front of her own son, in his honest opinion. Amanda was stricken by Floyd's so called 'miss'. She yanked the radio out of the captain's hand, growling,

"It's Waller, Savior One-Zero has been hijacked. Shoot it down."

A scream erupted from behind everyone. The soldier who was holding down Jester was replaced by a cold, bloody corpse. Jester stood above it, shaking. Speckles of blood splattered his face, his suit jacket dyed red. The teens blue eyes screamed insanity. His hand gripped a gun. Instantaneously, all available guns were pointed at the teen. Except one.

Jester shaking hand pointed the gun at Waller.

"Take back the order." He demanded.

"I can't do that." She answered calmly.

"Yes, you can." Jester retorted, voice trembling. Tears streamed down his face, desperate. "Take it back,"

"Shortie..." Croc said sadly.

"If you shoot, you will die." A laugh escaped the teen's lips.

"You're gonna need a better reason than that this time, Honey."


	4. Don't Get In My Way

        "You're gonna need a better reason than that this time, Honey."

        All the guns were pointed at him. Though not once did he take his eyes off Waller,  _off the parent killer._ The voices in his head never stopped whispering.  _Killer... Kill her..._  He wanted to put the gun to his head and pull the trigger. God, he'd do anything to make the voices stop.  _She's going to kill them._

        "Take back the order!" He screamed.  _Killer! Killer!_ Hot tears slipped down his face. His knees trembled, his heart about to explode in any second.

        "You and I both know that's impossible." The  _killer_  answered, hands calmly hanging by her sides.

        "You should put down the gun, chico. Or you will regret it." Diablo said softly. That only fueled the fire.

        "She's going to kill them! She-" A deafening crash erupted from the hijacked chopper. That was it. Jesse's knees buckled. They're dead. They're  _gone._  He felt like he took a blow to his stomach. The voices in his head were screaming bloody murder.  _Dead dead dead dead dead dead DEAD._ He slapped his hands to his ears. He couldn't breathe. His gun dropped at Amanda's feet. Her face kept indifferent at the crumbling prince of Gotham.

        The remaining criminals rushed towards their youngest member. Jesse was on his knees, hunched over. The teen's hands covered his ears, rocking himself slightly. His shoulders shook, almost violently. He couldn't breathe.

        "'Ey, Pipsqueak. Talk to me." The words were muffled. Almost blurred.  _Never coming back..._

        "C'mon, lil' tyke. You're scarin' us."  _They left you..._

_"_ Jester? Chico?"  ** _Dead._**

**...**

_"Hello there! My name's Joker, but you can call me Dad." The green haired man grinned down at his six year old son. 'I found you!' He thought to himself. His son was a spitting image of him, pale skin and bright blue eyes. 'His eyes are missing something...'_

_"How do I know you're my Dad?" The young boy questioned. Ah, he's a smart one. Good. It can be used in the future. Jesse clutched Mr.Teddy, his teddy bear, closer to his chest. The kids continue to play around them in the park. It's not like he was scared of the man in front of him. He was nice. And he laughed a lot. If someone laughs a lot, that means they're nice, right?_

_"C'mere." The man ushered him away from the playground. Holding his hand, he lead him to his HQ. His henchmen were too scared to ask why their boss had a six year-old holding his hand. They decided not to disturb him. The room was practically empty. A be, and a window. The walls dirty grey. A tall mirror stood in front of the two. "D'you see our eyes?No one else has these eyes. Except us."_

_"Mother told me my Father was a bad man." Jesse tilted his head, indifferent to the odd man with strange tattoos. "Are you bad?"_

_Joker frowned to himself. 'So... uptight. We'll just have to fix that.' He laughed at the kid. "Oh, I'm bad. They are, too. I'm just honest about my badness." He explained. It made sense to the kid._

_"Harold makes fun of me for not having a dad. He says I'm a freak... You can help, right? 'Cause you're my Dad?"_

_The Joker grinned at his son. "Of course I can, Sonny."_

        One day later, there was a shooting at Grandma's House Daycare. Sixteen toddlers dead. Twenty injured. Harold was among the sixteen dead. Jesse wasn't sure if he was delighted. No more bullies, thanks to Mister J. But still...

        "Did you have to kill the other kids?" Jesse asked, fidgeting in his chair. He's been sneaking to Mister J's house more often. His mother never noticed he was gone. She never notices.

        "Why not? They were in the way." Joker shrugged, casually cleaning his knife collection. Jesse shook his head, biting his lip nervously. He really liked Mister J, he didn't want to upset him and make him leave. But he really liked some of those kids... He even considered one them his friends. Seeing his son's hesitation, Joker put down his knife and cloth, turning to the small boy. "I wouldn't have killed them if they weren't in the way. That's just how the world works."

        "But..." Jesse kept his eyes glued to the floor. God, he hopes he won't get his Dad mad. He just got him back. "Did you have to?"

        Joker rolled his eyes in annoyance. His kid has a lot to learn. He put up a smile, saying, almost patiently. He put his face close to Jesse's, noses almost touching. "Y'see Sonny, if people are in the way, you gotta kill them. There's no other way. 'Cause if you don't kill them, they just come crawling back, getting in your way for a second time." He explained. It made sense in Jesse's mind. If they get in the way, kill them. Or they come right back up. The six-year-old nodded.

        "I see now."

        "Good."

        God, he really messed up this time. Eight-year-old Jesse cowered in front of his drunk mother. He had wanted to hang out at Dad's house. He forgot his mother got fired from her job yesterday. She was screaming at him, the smell of alcohol attacking his nose.

        "I feed you! I clothe you! I give you a roof over your head! And you have the audacity to sneak out and refuse to take care of your own Mother!" She screeched, throwing a beer bottle against the wall. "I should have aborted you when I had the chance! You worthless piece of shit! Just like your garbage Father!" Now, he could take the insults, but she's not aloud to make fun of the only person who's on his side.

        "My Father isn't garbage! He's better than you ever were!" He screamed. She stopped abruptly, her face suddenly pale. The woman grabbed her son by the arms, dragging him to his room. 

        "You stay here! We're leaving!" She ordered, throwing him in and closing the door with a deafening slam! They were leaving? But how was he supposed to talk to Dad? He cradled his right arm, which sported moon crescent cuts from his Mother's nails. Her voice still rang in his ears...  **Worthless... Killer... Kill her...**  He stopped. Not once has he ever thought of murder. This voice was new. Yet, he welcomed the new voice. It was right, she was in the way. He shouldn't let his mother drag him down, or she'll come crawling back. Can't have that.

        Jesse always knew about the gun hidden in the back of the cupboard.  He never thought he'd used it. It was easy. His mother was too busy frantically packing her things to notice the shadow looming behind her. The small child had seen his Father hold a gun many times before. It felt heavy in his hand. It was comforting. He held up the gun with both hands, remembering to click the safety off. His mother froze at the sound, turning to see her son with her gun.

        "Honey..." She said sweetly, shuffling closer, "You shouldn't have that. You could get hurt."

        He didn't answer.

        "Give me the gun, Jesse."

        "Jesse. Give me the gun. Now."  


  
_He pressed the trigger lightly, almost non-existent. The shot fired. Though he did know how to shoot a gun, he never knew how to aim. His mother gave a bellowing shriek, covering her bloody shoulder._  
  
        "You little shit!" She howled. Jesse stumbled away, sprinting until he was behind her. Something glinted in her bag. A throwing knife. A red and black checkered throwing knife. Jesse grabbed it quickly. He didn't have time to think why she had something like that before she was coming at him. He flinched back, throwing out his hands in front of him in a protective stance. With closed eyes, he heard a gurgling noise.   
  
        His mother lay there with a slashed throat, coughing out masses of blood. His knife was bloody.  **He**  was bloody. The crimson felt warm on his skin. Oh, God, he killed her. He killed his Mother.  
  
        Jesse backed away slowly.  **Killer...**  The voice whispered. He was the killer. He did the only possible thing he could think of. Throwing knives still in hand, he sprinted to his Dad's house.  
  
        His Dad congratulated him. "You're gonna be as great as me one day!" He giggled, patting his son's bloody cheek. "I'm proud of you." He stared into his father's blue eyes. The exact same blue eyes. He was a killer like his father. Jester was okay with that.  
  
_And on that day of_ **09.07.06** he refused to be anything but The Jester.  
  
        One year later, he met Dr.Harleen Quinzel. She was sweet, if not crazier than his father. But he liked her, she was silly and worried over him constantly, Jester wondered if that's what a mom's supposed to be like. Every time Joker was out on business and left Harley and himself on their own, they had a lot of fun. She took him to carnival's and amusement parks, but she refused to do any crime with him on board. She thought he was to young to be shown the ropes yet. Every time she would rob a bank, she'd drop him off at Auntie Ivy's house.  
  
_"You're so chubby and cute." She would always giggle, "Like a pumpkin."_  
  
        "Let's get going, kid..."  
  
        "Kid..."  
  
        "Kid!" Rick shouted. Jester snapped from his daze. How'd he end up on the floor? The teen looked around him. His 'Suicide Squad' surrounded him, worry etched onto their faces. Smoke filled his lungs. It must be coming from the crash. His parents' crash. He shook his head. They wouldn't want him to be moaning about their death. He grinned at the squad.   
  
        "'Sup, Ricky?" He giggled, springing up and stretching. The other's exchanged a glance. Jester remembered what just transpired, right?  
  
        "You passed out, chico. We were worried about you." Diablo explained, worry gnawing at him. He remembered the day his family died. He wanted to die with them, the ex-gangbanger couldn't help but be concerned about their youngest. If the kid felt anything close to what Diablo had felt that day... Then they should be very concerned.  
  
        "Well, I'm awake now." He waved them off. Scanning the roof, he spotted dead bodies, empty ammo, criminals,and  soldiers, but no Amanda. "Where is our lovely Amanda Waller?" Jester asked sweetly. Too sweetly, really.  
  
        "She left. Ya' sure you're alrigh'?" Digger's eyes scanned the teenager suspiciously. He may not know the kid very well, but he knew him well enough to stay away and make sure Jester doesn't kill anyone while he's wearing that smile. Jesse was very unstable already, but he really looks like he crossed the ledge and can't get back.   
  
        "I'm fine, really." He did not look fine. His eyes were red from crying and his face was red from blood. The air was filled with worry. Everyone had created some sort of parental connection to the youngest. Everything about him just made them all want to hug him and adopt him as their own. Jester looked around the staring faces. "So, what's the plan?"  
  
        Rick blinked, shaking his head. "We complete the mission. But for now, we camp out here. It's been a long day. For all of us. Let's move out!"  
  
        Jester lagged behind, staying silent. Diablo and Floyd walked beside him, crowding around the kid protectively. Jesse either didn't notice, or pretended not to. The other two exchanged glances, their tongues dry. What can they say? Oh, sorry you had to watch your parents explode beside the person who decided to explode them. They both know to respect the silence.


	5. My Boyfriend's Back

        "This bird is baked." Joker growled, he turned to his queen. "It's you and me, Baby!" His queen, the infamous Harley Quinn, cackled. Oh, how she missed these days. If only Pumpkin was with them now. The blonde smirked to herself. He will be. Soon.  
  
        The hijacked chopper gave a sudden jolt, almost knocking the couple off their feet. Joker instinctively pulled Harley towards him by the wrists. They were falling, plunging towards the grovel at rising speed. The ex-psychiatrist held tightly to her Puddin', screwing her eyes shut. Another jolt, stronger than the last. Then black.  
  
        "Mister J! Miss Quinn! Are you alright?!" Joker's right hand man, Jonny Frost, asked. Decapitated parts of the chopper surrounded them. Mister J brushed off his suit casually, Harley doing the same, adjusting her pigtails.   
  
        "Frosty!" She exclaimed, "I've missed ya!" Her boyfriend ignored her, glowering,   
  
        "Anyone else survive?"   
  
        "None, Sir." The green haired male rolled his eyes in annoyance. He picked up his gun that miraculously survived the crash. He turned to the building they had shot at moments ago. His son is in that building. And he'll be damned if he didn't get back what's his.  
  
        "We'll just have to get new ones."  He grunted.  
  
....[The morning after]  
  
        'Pumpkin's gonna be alright on his own.' Harley tried to reassure herself, 'He's in good hands.' Well, sort of good hands. She doesn't really trust anyone to take care of her stepson except Ivy. Her best friend Ivy has babysat Jester since he Harley got her hands on his chubby pumpkin face. Her hand drifted over Jester's old bed sheets. She would always visit his room every so often since he was locked up in that damned asylum.  
  
        "What's wrong, Honey?" Joker purred, his arms wrapping around his queen from behind. He gave a trail of kisses on her shoulder. The woman let out a breath, leaning back into her lover's embrace.  
  
        "I miss Pumpkin." She sighed, "I miss us bein' a family, dontcha' think?"  
  
        The man growled in agreement. He broke the embrace, pacing in front of the tall mirror of Jester's room. The very same mirror he convinced Jesse that they were family. The man stared long into the mirror, gazing at his blue eyes. His son's blue eyes. He gave a frustrated yell and swung at the mirror. Shards crashed to the floor, leaving smaller broken pieces. "Oh, we're gonna get him."  
  
        "Jonny!" He yelled.  
  
        "Yes, Boss?"  
  
        "Find the location of Jesse Quinn. We're collecting what's mine."  
  
        A smile crawled onto Harley's face. Her Puddin' is so sweet. And she'll kill anyone who thinks any different.  If anything, they'd be at Adelram's. Oh yeah, Adelram. The woman's smile vanished. Should she tell Puddin'? But that might kill the rest of them. She liked those guys and rather avoid their deaths. But then she'll be hiding things from her Puddin'. Weighing the pros and cons, she decided,   
  
        "Hey, Puddin', " She batted her eyelids, "I think I might know where our Pumpkin is!"  
  
        He raised an expectant brow, "Well?"  
  
        "But ya gotta promise me somethin' first." She giggled, though on the inside, she was quite worried. What if this doesn't work? Her new found friends would die. "You gotta promise me that ya don't kill the guy with the beard, the green guy, the gangster looking one, but you can kill the one with the boomerangs. I never liked him anyways."  
  
        "Get on with it." Joker growled,   
  
        "They're going to Adelram's HQ to try and shut down all his client trades. That includes you, Puddin'." Harley answered immediately. The man grumbled to himself. Turning to his replacement henchmen, who quivered at his sharp gaze, he yelled,   
  
        "Let's have some fun!"

  
...  
  
        June Moone was never a gutless person. She didn't cower during old horror films or cling to her boyfriend during a haunted house tour. She's a archaeologist, for crying out loud! She's stubborn and all round brave. But on that faithful day, stumbling upon the Enchantress... She should have gone through the proper process and not have just broke open the figurine. Sharing a body takes an enormous toll, emotional and physical. It's safe to say she's not as strong as she used to be.  
  
        And when she saw her boss kill the parents of the child in front of her. The teen had passed out only moments after the chopper exploded. She tugged on Rick's sleeve, whispering,  
  
        "Who was that?"  
  
        His eyes were glued onto the crowd surrounding Jester. He stayed in his spot. Rick's job came first. He needs to get Amanda to safety first. No matter how many times the man repeated in his head, it still sounded wrong.  
  
        "His name's Jester. The blonde one's stepson." The colonel replied. Amanda walked over to the couple. Her face was still cold as stone. She looked to the pair,  
  
        "Like I said before Flag, complete the mission whatever the cost and bring them back." Amanda ordered, "And get me another chopper."  
  
        "Does anyone know what to do?" Floyd questioned. The rest of the criminals stood awkwardly around the unconscious kid. While each of them had a little bit of medical knowledge from their jobs, it was how to treat a bullet wound or how to fix a dislocated shoulder. Not what to do when someone passed out.  
  
        "Waller said tha' Enchantress chick was a doctor?" Boomer questioned. Their head snapped towards their new member.  
 

        "Oh, uh, me?" June pointed to herself despite knowing they meant her. "Well, you see, I'm not that kind-"  
  
        "Junie." Rick instructed, "Stop worrying. I know you know how to do this." She breathed in sharply, shaking herself.   
  
        "Yeah, okay, um..." She paused, thinking, "Position him on his back and check his pulse." The men instantly started working. Croc bent down and put his claw-like fingers to the kid's wrist.   
  
        "He's good." Croc grunted. The doctor nodded. She pushed through the group, kneeling beside Jester. June examined him. Being an archaeologist meant knowing how to treat fainting as well. You never know what you can come across in her line of work. At least, her old line work.  
  
        "He was shot in the arm. Just skimmed him. I guess he never noticed because of the adrenaline." The brunette concluded. Deadshot raised his hand.  
  
        "Ey, I can help with that." He sat by the doctor, who couldn't help but shrink back. This was a criminal. He literally killed people for a living, anyone would inch away from him. Frankly, Floyd noticed her squirming. A small smirk flashed across his face,   
  
        "Don't you worry, Honey. I don't bite, but he does." He nodded up at Croc, who gave a low chuckle. Turning back to Jester, he scanned his wound, wincing, "Yeah, that's gonna need stitching."  
  
        They all worked together well, surprisingly. Katana stitched the wound and Floyd bandaged it. June instructed Diablo and Croc on what to do with a unconscious person while Boomer flirted uselessly with the Japanese woman.  
  
        Rick still lingered at the back, waiting for the chopper to arrive and pick up Waller. "The mission can still work without Harley." She said before entering the chopper. "I'll see all in one piece, if you behave, at least." And with that, she was gone.   
  
....  
  
        It was silent on their way down the stairs. They're gazes always snuck back to the silent teen from the back. Though they never voiced their concern aloud.  
  
        They decided to camp out on the first floor. No one argued, instead falling asleep almost instantly on the ground. Only two people, plus the lookouts were awake.  
  
        "For what its worth," June told the, now dubbed, 'orphan'. "I'm sorry. About your parents." Jesse shook his head, studying his Mother's baseball bat that Digger gave him.  
  
       "While I do appreciate your 'sentiment', Junie Moony. It's not worth shit." He giggled, though it wasn't like his regular laughing. This one sounded more... Bitter. "Y'know, if this happened to my Mum, she would've been strong. She'd laugh through the pain... the voices, too." The smile on his face faded, turning to stare out the window, "It's too bad she's dead now. I'm not as strong as she is."  
  
        "Then you're just gonna have to work on that, then." The woman answered, "Whatever life throws at you, you're just gonna have to adapt. " She thought back to the day Rick found her. She was so scared, but then she forced herself to be stronger. Though she can't handle the aftermath of the Enchantress. The brunette was working on it, which means Jester should too. The teen forced a grin.  
  
        "Sure thing, Junie Moony. I'll work on it." June spotted a small piece of paper in the teen's hands. A picture, she presumed. The archaeologist wondered what it was like having a family of crazy people. Was it awful? Fun? Did they still function as a normal family? "I know what you're thinking. We may have been fucked up. But we were  _together_ and that's all that really mattered."   
  
June finally got a closer look of the photo clutched in Jesse's hand. It was the Joker, Harley, and Jester. Harley was affectionately fixing Jester's black tie, a large grin plastered on her face. Joker stood tall by Harley's side, nose up in the air in what seems like pride. They were all smiling and splattered in blood, though they didn't act like they were. The perfect fucked up family.  
  
...  
  
        Harley couldn't help but smile fondly at the familiar Lamborghini. Ah, the memories they made in that car. Time to get their Pumpkin. Next time, no one's going to interrupt family night.  
  
        "Let's go, Harls!" Joker yelled. It's 4am, 'cause why not? A smirk climbed onto her lips.  
  
        "Let's get going, Puddin'!" She answered gleefully. Climbing into the passenger seat of the car, they sped towards their target: Adelram's weapons HQ. She couldn't help but laugh as adrenaline began to surge through her veins. Her boyfriend's back.


	6. The Angel Gabriel

  
  
  
          Harley always told him suppressing his feelings is extremely unhealthy, but he couldn't help it. Jester was never the type to express himself. He always preferred would always hide his feelings behind a disturbing grin and a giggle. So, when his parents 'died', he melted back into his coping mechanism: suppress the shit out of his emotions.  
  
        "Hurry up, c'mon!" He yelled to his teammates. The teen skipped ahead of the others, giggling. He was being extra giggly, which was odd. Him and June have gotten along very well, which in turn made a very grumpy Rick. June jogged up to the arms dealer. Jester leaned over to her, whispering, "I think someone's jelly 'bout me and Junie Moony." The woman glanced at Rick, who was pointedly not looking at them.  
  
        "Don't worry about him. Rick always gets pouty whenever I'm around the opposite gender."   
  
        Meanwhile, Rick huffed, looking away when he saw Jester whisper something to _his_  girlfriend. He knew it was impractical to be jealous over a teenager, but still, the kid was very flirtatious and, though he didn't want to admit it, charming. Just seeing another man making June giggle like that made his head pound. Floyd snorted beside him.  
  
        "You jealous?" The man questioned. Flag groaned.   
  
        "Don't be ridiculous, Lawton." He answered gruffly. The other man shook his head in return.   
  
        "I can't believe the great Colonel Rick Flag is jealous of a seventeen year old." He laughed, the colonel growled. Floyd raised his hands in surrender, "Hey man, I ain't judging."  
  
        "You know what you should do, homie?" Rick's head snapped over Diablo, who must've snuck beside him. "So you just go up to your chicka and say, 'hey, I don't like it when you hang around that minor. I don't want no competition.'" Floyd burst out laughing while Diablo gave an innocent smirk. Rick held back a groan.  
  
        "Didn't know you ha' a sense o' humor, mate!" Digger exclaimed. 'Why are all the bad guys flocking to me!?' Rick exclaimed in his head. Diablo shook his head, a ghost of a smile on his lips.   
  
        "Nah,  _camarada,_ some people just don't have the smarts to understand my humor." He walked off cooly, ignoring Digger's offended scoff. Croc, who heard the entire conversation, high-fived the Spanish man, chuckling.  
  
        "You are being childish." Scowled Katana. Diablo shrugged.  
  
        "No need to sit around and mope." Croc grunted. Katana shook her head, turning her head back to the path.   
  
...  
  
        Adelram's HQ was humongous, obviously. Since the criminal's took over the city, gangs, thieves, murderers and all the like were stationed around the buildings as some sort of check point. This shouldn't worry them. But it did. The plan was flimsy, and if it didn't work, there was no back up.  
  
        Rick felt his inner leader take over. "Deadshot, you're going onto that building over there with McDonald and Smith." He gestured to the other soldiers on his right. Deadshot rolled his eyes, but didn't comment. "Diablo, Jester, Croc, Blair and Boomerang will get into the building and get information on Adelram's dealings while June and I set up the bomb from under you." He handed Jester and Blair a burner phone. "This will ring once to signal you to get outta there. Twice, if it's an emergency. Katana and the rest will surround the place, make sure nothing goes wrong. Clear?"  
  
        They all nodded. Croc rolled his eyes at the soldiers who saluted. They separated, going to their respective places. Jester didn't move from his spot, staring at the soldier assigned to them: Blair. A young man, maybe two or three years older than Jester himself. Blair squirmed under the teen's gaze.  
  
        "So he's just gonna go in there wearing _that?_ " Jester questioned, rather sass-like. Everyone stopped, ogling at the man's wear. It's regular soldier wear. Camouflage garb, bullet-proof vest and such. Rick shrugged.  
  
        "Don't see why not." Jester gave a loud groan.  
  
        "Hate to break this to you, Ricky. You may catch villains, but ya don't think like one. The moment they see the vest and camo, they'll start shooting." He explained. "Do you want us to die? Actually, don't answer that."  
  
        Blair rose his hand. "If I have a say Sir, I'd rather not die because of my clothing."   
  
        Jester cackled, slinging his arm over the soldier's shoulder. "See? Even the goody-two-shoes agrees with me." The man looked slightly uncomfortable with the psychopath's arm over his shoulder, but he shrugged it off quickly.  
  
        "Shortie's right. You ain't no bad guy." Growled Croc. The soldiers took a small step back when the man(?) spoke. Waylon rarely talked and when he did, someone was most likely going to die. "What?" Croc raised his brows. They shook their heads.  
  
        "Okay. Fine. You make him look like a baddie while we set up at our positions. Behave. All of you." He sent a pointed look at the criminals, who all snickered in return.  
  
        "Let's go then." Jester said cheerfully, grabbing Blair's hand and dragging him to the many buildings surrounded him. Blair spluttered, but didn't object. Diablo, Croc, and Boomer followed after. "There's gotta be a nice clothing store we could break into!"   
  
        Jester was surprisingly picky when it came to clothing. 'Only the best clothes are suited for my fake henchmen!' They finally settle on a nice local men's boutique. "So, pray tell, are you more of a neutral colours or bright colours kind of guy, Blair?"  
  
        "Uh, neutral." He answered hesitantly. The man scanned Jester's face, looking for any trace of insanity. There wasn't a lot to go on, suprisingly. The guy looked completely normal not counting the piercings and tattoos. "You don't seem so..."  
  
        "Insane?"   
  
        "Yeah...?"  
  
        "That's because you can't hear them." The teen grinned. Finally picking an outfit for the young soldier. A black leather jacket with a Nirvana shirt that got damaged, all topped off loose jeans and chains. "It brings out your freckles and pretty greenie eyes." He explained. Blair blushed.  
  
        "T-Thanks, I guess. We still haven't found clothes for everyone else, though."  
  
        Jester shook his head. "No need. They already got the look down. Hey, question: Is Blair your actual name?"  
  
        "Nah. It's my last name. My actual name is Jake."   
  
        "Jake Blair." Jester tested, "I like it."  
  
        "I never really liked my name. It's too simple." Blair, no, Jake, shook his head, heading to the changing room. Jester leaned on the wall across from it, waiting.  
  
        "Over complicated isn't as exciting as it looks." He said dryly. Jake laughed from behind the curtains. Diablo went up to the two, an annoyed look plastered on his face. Boomer and Croc following.  
  
        "Boomerang wants to escape." Chato deadpanned. Jester rose his brows. But he having a lot of fun. Jake spoke up from behind the curtains.   
  
        "I wouldn't do that if I were you." His hand stuck out of the curtain, in it was a miniature version of the killing device Rick has.  Jester's hands brushed over his neck. Is his still working? His father deactivated his, but Amanda probably activated it again. Still, it's uncertain. Jake stepped out of the changing room. He looked... Hot.  Jester gave a low whistle.  
  
        "Wow, is it hot in here? Or is it just you?" He gave a suggestive wink. Jake coughed, ignoring the teen for the most part. Though Jester caught the hint of pink in the other man's cheek.  
  
        "Anyway, don't try to escape. Or I will kill you." Digger groaned. Once they were finished, they walked back to Adelram's. Boomer's moaning and Jester's excited chattering echoed through the abandoned city.  
  
        "Y'see, I knew the dark leather would really compliment your red hair." Jester ranted excitedly. Blair chuckled, shaking his head at the teen.  
  
        "You're really good when it comes to clothing." He said thoughtfully. The ravenhead nodded.  
  
        "With a parents' like mine. You learn quickly." His grin faded. Jake stared at him in concern. The redhead almost forgot about the death of Jesse's parents. He just acted like he was okay. And Jake almost believed him.  
  
        "I'm sorry."  
  
        "There's nothing to apologize for."  
  
        They stayed in silence. Jake lead ahead, leaving Jesse to his own thoughts. "Never knew ya swung tha' way, mate." A familiar Australian voice drawled. Jester rolled his eyes.  
  
        "You thought I was straight? Don't be ridiculous." He noticed Croc and Diablo slide beside him. He rose his brows. "Do you have a problem with that?"   
  
        Croc shook his head. Diablo voiced a small "Nah." While Digger chuckled, shaking his head. "Tha' means more sheilas for me. I'm no' complainin' at all." He laughed.  
  
        Jester grinned. "Cool."  
  
...  
  
        The five finally reached the building, passing by Katana's team briefly. They couldn't talk to eachother, too much risk of being seen together. If they want to live through the end of the day, stealth needs to be on their side. With Jester's influence, Jake looked like a completely different person. His fluffy hair and face was dusted with dirt, making his Nirvana shirt stand out against his black leather jacket.  
  
        The moment they crossed the fence to the building, armed men and women popped out of nowhere, carrying a variety of weapons. The tall, blonde woman stood at the front. Her face smeared with crimson substance Jake genuinely hoped wasn't blood. "Who are you?" She hissed.  
  
        Jester walked forward, never flinching at the many weapons pointed at him. He stuck out his hand, ready for a handshake. "Hello there, pretty lady! I'm surprised you don't know me!" He cackled loudly. He's over exaggerating his craziness, Jake realised. Wow, he was good. "Quinn. Jester Quinn. I'm a good friend of your boss, Adelram. So if you could just call him for me? That'd be great."  
  
        "Adelram's not my boss." The woman hissed, though she did nod to the man next to her. He swaggered over to the inside of the building. "You come with us, but leave your men here."   
  
        "We stay with the boss." Croc grunted. Many people gasped when they saw what was under the hood. Anyone would flinched back if they saw a human crocodile.   
  
        "What the hell is that thing?!" One man cried.  
  
        "He's righ'. We stick with 'im." Added Boomer, crossing his arms in the hopes of looking intimidating. He was guessing it didn't work from the raised brows and eye rolls.   
  
        "Sure. I'll come." Jester shrugged. "You guys stay here, make sure no one double crosses me." The others were silently screaming the same thing, 'What the hell are you doing?!'. The teen shot them a look, mouthing small words, 'Trust me'  
  
        The woman, Valentina was her name, led Jester to Adelram's office. Which left the other four outnumbered by thieves, gangs, murderers and the such.   
  
        "You El Diablo?" A boy around Jester's age, questioned. El Diablo nodded. "I remember you. El famoso y peligroso: El Diablo!" He mocked, coming face to face with the metahuman, "Your gang would always rob my family,  _hermano._ "  
  
        Chato flinched slightly at the mention of his sinful past. He wanted to apologize to the kid, beg for his forgiveness. Though he knew he couldn't, their lives hung in the balance depending on whether they're caught. "That's how the world works,  _niño."_ He grunted, but he couldn't disagree more.  _That's not how it works. Don't be listen to me. Don't **be**_ _me._  He wanted to say.  
  
  
        "Ah, don't listen to him, Bruno."  A deep voice rumbled behind the quartet. Chato's eyes widened, his jaw dropping drastically.  
  
        "Gabriel."  
  
        "Chato,  _viejos amigo."_ A tall, broad, man grinned, His burly muscled skin was covered in tattoos similar to Diablo. The man, Gabriel, held a gleam in his brown eyes too menacing to be real. Chato twitched slightly, his mouth twisted in a frown. "It's been quite a while. I haven't seen you since you turned yourself in after you killed my sister and her children."  
  
        "You don't know what really happened."  
  
        "That don't change what you did. A killer's still a killer."   
  
        "Wai' righ' there,  _amigo."_ Boomer voiced, "Who the hell are you?" Jake glanced between them worriedly, waiting to break the fight if it comes down to it.  
  
        "I'm surprised you never mentioned me to your buddies, Chato. I'm Gabriel Aguado, Chato's brother in law and his old second in command. But I'm the boss now, right boys?" Laughter erupted from the men behind them. Gabriel squinted at his old friend. "So this is what you've come to? A slave for some white boy?"  
  
        "I wouldn't do tha' if I were you. He could burn this 'ole place to the ground."  Digger threatened. The man scoffed.   
  
        "Nah, he could, but he wouldn't. Chato wanted to repent for his sins, ain't that right?" He rose his brows mockingly to Diablo, who didn't answer, dropping his gaze. "It's a shame it came to this,  _viejos amigo._  I'm sure that kid could always find some replacement guards after we're done with you. Torch 'em, boys."  
  
        "Por favor, viejos amigo." Chato pleaded.  
  
        "Nah, it's too late for that. You killed Grace. My niece and nephew, too." Gabriel shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping from his lips. "Ain't this funny? The angel Gabriel beats El Diablo."


	7. Betrayal

        "What the hell is he doing?!" Rick cursed. Deadshot's team had just informed him of Jester's reckless act: going into Adelram's den. Alone. No backup whatsoever. "There was a reason we gave him so much backup! What are we going to fucking do now?!"  
  
        "The plan can still work. He has the phone on him. We can continue the plan as normal, but now, there's no backup. Baby, stay calm."  June advised to her red faced boyfriend. Rick was cursing any bad word he could think of the moment. Why did Jester have to be so thoughtless?! Rick knew- He'd known how much of a stupid idea it was harboring villians into a mission like this. Amanda can shove it up her-  
  
        "Babe, seriously." June said sternly. Taking deep breaths, Rick shook away his foul thoughts. He needed to focus on the mission.  
  
        "Okay." He breathed out slowly. "Okay." The colonel repeated.   
  
        "There you go." She soothed, patting his back comfortingly. "Let's keep going."  
  
  
....  
  
        Jester couldn't help but think how pissed Rick was going to be once he finds out he came in with zero backup, he rolled his eyes. 'Oh, Ricky.' He thought.  
  
        "Jesse Quinn! Why have you come to my humble home?" A light, squeaky voice said, sarcasm dripping with every word. The teen turned to see his old teacher, standing with open arms and a not-so friendly grin.  
  
        "I heard there was a party." He answered confidently. "And I wanted to join in."  
  
        "Well, you weren't wrong about the party part." Adelram chuckled. The blonde woman left the room, as well as the rest of the guards. The student and teacher were the only ones left. "But let's cut to the chase." He said abruptly, eyes narrowed at the teen. "I'm guessing you're still a homo?"  
  
      "And I'm guessing you're still a homophobe."Jesse rolled his eyes. "I'm not a 'homo', I'm pansexual. They're two different things. But you don't care either way 'cause I'm still not straight."  
  
       "Why are you here, Jesse?"  
  
       "What? I can't find the time to visit my favourite teacher?"  
  
       "I was your only teacher."  
  
       The teen shrugged, leaning on the mahogany desk behind him. They were being unusually civil. The last time the two ever spoke, it ended in screams, broken glass, and bruises courtesy of both males. Jester wrinkled his nose at the mention of that memory. The smell of scotch and wood wafted through the office. Adelram pulled out a bottle of-you guessed it- scotch. "Would you like some scotch?"   
  
        Jester raised his brows, a smirk playing on his lips. "That's assist in underage drinking. You could get arrested for that." He snickered. His teacher rolled his eyes, pouring a drink for himself before setting down the bottle.  
  
        "After all these years, you still haven't lost your sense of humor. What a shame." He shook his head. "Again, what do you want?"   
  
        The teen's eyes darkened, opening his mouth to ask for his clients. He stopped abruptly. _Betray them._ The voices whispered. Did he have to complete the mission? He could easily  _not_  do it. Who was here to stop him? Jake was outside. Rick was setting off a bomb. And the parent killer was hiding in the safety of a military base somewhere. Besides, even if they _did_  kill him, what's he gonna lose? An illegal weapons company, a couple of sort-of friends, and an homophobic teacher?   
  
         "I'm being threatened." He finally told Adelram, "If I don't do what they tell me, a nanite bomb they injected in my neck will blow head off." The man raised his brows, skeptic. A bomb? In his neck? Pfft, sure. Jester stared back, his mouth gaped. "You don't believe me, do you?"  
  
         "I believe you had told me a similar story when you were nine years old." He replied dryly. Jester slammed his hands in Adelram's desk, leaning close to the man in front of him.  
  
          "I'm not joking! We both know that you know what bomb I'm talking about. Nanite bomb the size of a rice grain to be injected in the neck of whoever the buyer may choose. You've sold these before and don't try to deny it." Said Jester fiercely. Adelram shrank in his seat, sighing.  
  
           "I wish I could sell them. They're very rare to come across in the market. I've been trying to get my hands on them for years." He glanced up at his old student, "So, what am I supposed to do about the thing in your neck?" Jester growled, running his hand through his hair forcefully.  
  
          "I don't-" The door swung open. The teen's head snapped in that direction, mouth open ready to shout at who dared interrupt an important meeting. And then he saw him. The Joker. His father. His  _dead_  father. Behind him waving, was Harley Quinn, his  _dead_ mother.

       "Oh Pumpkin!" She cried, running and tackling him in a hug at lightning speed. "I've missed ya so much!"  
  
        "I- Wha- I don- I don't understand." Jester stuttered. They're  _alive._ He felt his lungs release a tension he had no idea he even had.  Joker cackled, twirling the cane in his hand playfully.  
  
        "That's a good joke, Sonny! Did you really think we'd go down so easily?" He slapped his son's cheeks in his own unique way of showing affection. Adelram squinted at his old student. After all, Jester never mentioned the supposed 'death' of his parents. "Ah, Adelram! Have you been treating my boy well?"   
  
        Joker and Adelram go way back. No one knows how they met or when, but they were close enough for Joker to never consider killing the elder arms dealer. Well, most assume; You never really know with the Joker. According to Jester, Adelram was like that homophobic pig of an uncle you avoid during thanksgiving. Though the green haired male knew of the toxic relationship between his close ally and son, he never acknowledged it as important. They'll sort it out, and if they didn't, it doesn't really affect him, does it?  
  
        "You know I have." Adelram grinned, patting Jesse's back albeit a bit forcefully. Jester glared over Harley's shoulder.  
  
        "Of course." Joker answered, he turned to his crazy family. He opened  his arms, widely grinning. "Let's go home."  
  
        "But the bomb..." The teen furrowed his brows. His hand lingered on his neck. It was weird to think something so deadly that could kill him any minute was  _in his neck_.  
  
        "I took care of that already."  
  
        "And the rest of the squad..." Jester trailed off. He had almost forgot about them in all the chaos. He's just going to leave them? Be free while they're stuck doing the government's dirty work? He admits it: he actually liked hanging around those guys, but not really enough to stay with them. Besides, when was he ever loyal? Still... He shook his head. The voices were whispering different things and it was giving him a headache. He owes them  _something._ "If you can turn off mine and Mum's. That means you can turn off theirs too, right?"  
  
        Joker rolled his eyes, throwing his head back. "And why would I do that?"   
  
        "Pleeeease, Puddin'?" Harley bat her eyelashes, knowing her love can't resist. Joker growled, pulling her towards him possessively.   
  
        "Looks like Daddy has some competition." He purred near Harley's ear. She giggled. Adelram coughed, excusing himself to leave the office. Jester grimaced, but didn't comment. He should be used to his parent's overt affection, but he's not.  
  
        "You know you're my only Puddin'." She reassured him.   
  
        "Only for you, my Queen." He gestured to Jonny by the door. Jester frowned, 'I'm the one who asked.' he thought grumpily. "Get the dear professor and tell him to deactivate all the bombs." He ordered. The green haired man turned back to his family. " _Now_ , let's go home."  
  
        The couple went to their respective Lamborghini while Jester went back to his very own baby: a pitch black sports car. The grilles, bumper and wheels glowed with black light. The teen had made an invisible Batman symbol with an X on top, only to be seen with black light. Hence the glowing car parts. "Oh, how I've missed you!" He cried happily, hugging his precious car.  
  
        And finally, the deranged family rode off, ignoring the gunshots echoing around them. Family night continues.  
  
...  
  
        "Shit! I've lost them! How did I lose them?" McDonald cried. The men surrounding Adelram's HQ had formed a blockade around Diablo, Boomer, Croc, and Jake. It was hard to spot them in the sea of other criminals.   
  
        "Calm down, Happy Meal. I got a visual." Scoffed Deadshot. 'Amateurs.' He thought to himself. The other man that he got stuck with, Scott was him name. Or something like that, he didn't really give a shit. Scott glared.  
  
        "You think you're all high and mighty, don't you?" He challenged in a squeaky voice. Floyd rose his brows, hiding a snicker. Did this guy even go through puberty?

  
        "What do you think, Scott?"  
  
        "My name is Smith!"   
  
        "I'll keep that in mind,  _Scott."  
  
        _The soldier turned red face, looking back into his scope on his sniper. He never shot back a retort. Floyd smirked, pride swelling in his chest. It was funny to get the good guys riled up and righteous. McDonald gave him a warning look he ignored.  
  
        He kept his eyes on the crowd, saying into his radio. "Hey Flag, I think we have a problem."  
  
        "What is it now, Deadshot?"  
  
        "You gotta ask me nicely, first."   
  
        "We don't have time for this!"  
  
        "I do. C'mon, didn't your mother teach you some manners?"  
  
        A groan came from the radio. "Tell me what is going on,  _please."_  Rick had stressed very much on the 'please'

        "Thank you." Floyd grinned, "They mobbed Flameboy and the rest. I don't have a visual anymore. And I don't think they're giving hugs. Oh- Wai- Holy shit!"  
  
        "What?! What's going on?! Floyd!" Flag's panicked voice rang throughout the rooftop. Deadshot watched, jaw dropped, as a circle of fire scorched through the crowd. All of them were burned to a crisp in minutes. The only ones standing were Diablo, Boomer, Jake and Croc, who were staring at the pyrokinetic deliriously.  
  
        "Forget everything I just said." Floyd finally said into his radio.  
  
...  
  
  
        "Ain't this funny?" The man smiled, "The angel Gabriel beats El Diablo."   
  
        Gabriel's men bounded towards them. Jake quickly scanned the perimeter, not that there was much to see through the seemingly endless sea of Gabriel’s lackeys. There was nothing. No escape route. No way of getting out of here. Jake’s heart sank to his stomach. What now?  
  
        “You ain’t no angel.” Croc growled. The men attacked.  
  
        Left and right,  people threw punches, swung weapons, even a few guns fired. Digger laughed, knocking out multiple people in one throw of a boomerang. Croc ripped through them at a time while Jake shot at them with his Mark 7. Though Diablo used his pyrokinesis a lot in his neighborhood, that doesn't mean he didn't know how to defend himself without his powers.   
  
        "I think we coul' use ya fiyah power right now, Hot Stuff!" Shouted Digger. Though they did put up a fight, the numbers were too high. There were slowly being cornered, Diablo tried to ignore him, knocking out another guy with an uppercut to the gut.  
  
        "I hate to say this," Croc paused, headbutting a burly woman with a machete, "But I agree with the tourist!"  
  
        "¡Me cago en todo lo que se menea!" Snapped Diablo, punching another man in the face. He was so stressed and angry, the man could feel his temperature rising above average levels. He needs to pause and calm himself down. Though he highly doubted he'd be able to. With a sidekick to a man's back, he left a scorching burn mark on the now unconscious man.  
  
        "El Diablo, please! You're the only way we can survive this!" Jake begged. He's now resorted to his handgun, as his beloved Mark 7 ran short of ammo. Still, Diablo didn't budge. He promised...  
  
        "Ey, you couldn' save ya' family, righ'? Well, you can save us! Righ' now! C'mon!" Boomer couldn't die now. He was so young... Croc suddenly had an idea. He really hoped this will work.  
  
        "You don't stand about shit, you ain't about shit!" Croc suddenly yelled,  
  
        "What the hell you talking 'bout, homie?!"  
  
        "I wanna see somethin'!" The Crocodile man challenged. Diablo's temperature was increasing drastically until his Hillsiders jacked started to char near the sleeves.  
  
        "You wanna see something?! YOU WANNA SEE SOMETHING?!"  
  
        "Yeah, I wanna see something! Show me something, Shorty! Go!"   
  
        Chato roared. A ring of fire circled around the four men. The fire shot out at lightning speed, incinerating the remaining of Gabriel's lackeys.   
  
        "Wow."   
  
        A loud crunching noise sounded behind them. They all jumped, falling back into their fighting stances. Katana rose her brows. "Your stances are weak." She chided, "I could've easily snuck behind you and broken your necks."  
  
        "I missed you too, Darl'." Digger panted, a lopsided grin stretched on his face. She rolled her eyes.   
  
        "Good job." The woman nodded to Diablo, who didn't answer. He was stuck wondering in his own thoughts.   
  
        "Sorry, man." Croc said to his kind-of friend, "It was the only way I could think of that could get you fired up." Diablo shook his head, sighing.  
  
        "Nah, it's fine. You had your reasons."  
  
        "Let's go inside." Jake suggested. The others agreed with the young soldier.   
  
        "An' how are we suppose' tah explain we killed half his guards?" Boomer questioned. Katana's eyes darkened, she growled,  
  
        "Men like him don't care about the casualties just as long as they get what they want."  
  
        "Y'mean men like us." Croc corrected. Katana and Jake stood dumbfounded for a moment, these were  _bad guys._  Murderers; Thieves. How the hell did they forget that? Jake shook his head, coughing.   
  
        "Let's get going."  
  
...  
  
        "Who are your clients?" Katana interrogated. She was merciless, digging her sword into Adelram's shoulder. He cried out, but didn't budge.  
  
        "I'm not telling you shit." He spat, blood pouring from his mouth.  The woman's eyes narrowed, she stomped on the man's broken ankle. He screeched.  
  
        "Jesse told me they're holding you against your will." The arms dealer panted, his gaze settling on Digger and Croc. "I know how to disable them. Just help me-" Katana swung at his jaw.  
  
        "You talk to me only." She said coldly, "Who is your supplier?"  
  
        "My only client is the Joker! Please, just-" He rasped, "My supplies come from countless companies..."  
  
        "Be more specific."  
  
        "There are moles in the government. They're stealing from you and dealing to me and a couple others under the table. That's it! That's all I know!"  
  
        "Who is the mole?" Katana questioned. She twisted his arm, threatening to snap.  
  
        "I-I don't know! He would always send messengers!"   
  
        "Woah, wai'! I got a couple questions myself." Digger stepped forward, glaring down at the pitiful man. "Where's the tyke? Where's Jester?"  
  
        Adelram coughed out a laugh, crimson spilling from his mouth. "He betrayed you." The man gasped, "He sold you out and left."  
  
        Jake had had enough. Pulling out his handgun, he shot the wheezing man in the head with no mercy. Silence seeped into the air. No one had expected that from their new youngest. Jake shook his head. "Jester wouldn't do that."   
  
Boomerang rolled his eyes, snarling, "You've known him a couple hours. Don't be so righteous." He spat, "If we all had the chance to escape, we would! Quit acting like we're good people 'cause we're not! We're bad guys. Don't forget."


	8. Whatcha Gonna Do About It?

  Jester's whooping and laughing echoed throughout the dead city. Adrenaline shot through his veins, making the teenager's eyes light up with madness. Fuck Amanda Waller, he's going back to his kingdom, whether that bitch likes it or not.   
  
        His parent's Lamborghini turned abruptly, leaving skid marks on the road. The day had turned dark, no stars were caught in the sky tonight.  Just how he liked it. Criminals scattered around the city drove clear of the two cars. They all knew who they were.  
  
        "Faster, Puddin', faster!" Commanded Harley. The Joker growled, following his queen's orders.  With experienced agility, he spun the wheel, making them suddenly turn right. The royal clown family will finally return to their rightful kingdom.  
  
  
....  
  
        "When does this end, Flag?"Deadshot growled at the colonel. Rick stood straighter, never flinching at Floyd's insistent shouting. "This mission has been going on for ages! When do I go home? Or are we even going home, hm?"  
  
        The entire mission was a bust. Rick and June never had the chance to set off the bomb since everything went to hell. Jester went in with no backup or anyone there to keep him in line. He sold them out, got his bomb deactivated, and escaped. Diablo, Boomer, Croc, and Jake had been attacked by Gabriel, who also managed to also escape unharmed. Rick fought back his growing migraine. Amanda was literally going to murder him.  
  
        Miraculously, the squad had managed to find each other after the chaos. Now, they were all lounging in another abandoned apartment building that didn't get take much damage. It was quite luxurious. Lovely wooden floors and marble counters were littered with empty rounds and dull weapons. Half the vintage platters displayed in the living room had went missing, Digger standing across from it all too innocently.  
  
        "We've lost three people, Flag." Diablo sighed, leaning tiredly against the door frame. "The mission is finished, Amanda has what she wants. Can't we just go home?"  
  
        "No." Flag objected. "I just talked to Waller on the radio. She said, and I quote, 'Every single one of them better be back here or no one lives.'" June sunk into the leather couch, deflated. Even Katana was starting to lose faith in this mission. "The only way you live is to get Jester's ass back here."  
  
        "That's impossible." Croc moaned, "Shortie does what he wants and he won't let us stop him."  
  
        "The kid will kill us in a heartbeat if we try to bring him back." Added Deadshot.  
  
        "Jester told me when he escaped he would go back to Gotham to take over his parent's legacy." June spoke up, clutching a silk blue pillow to her chest. "So by the time we find him, he'll have an army of henchmen, infinite weaponry and ammo, and all of Gotham's criminals on his side."  
  
        Rick's face twisted into a grimace. Even his girlfriend's telling him this is a bad idea.  _But orders are orders. Right? "_ Are we really sure Jester didn't leave anything behind?" Jake questioned. "Like, I dunno, a message or, maybe he tinkered with one of our things? I don't think he'd just up and leave without leaving anything behind."  
  
        "How woul' you know? You talked to 'im for an hour, mate." Digger scoffed.  
  
        "And how long have you known him, a day?" The redhead shot back. "What I'm trying to say is that Jester isn't the type to double cross someone without gloating about it. None of you seem to be that type, really."   
  
        "Get to the point." Croc snapped irritably.  
  
        "He would've left  _something._ Mock us. Unless he was too distracted."  
  
        Rick grit his teeth, his hand lingering on the machine that could kill his team. Jester had disabled all of their nanite bombs. But he knew he couldn't tell them. In the same minute he'd tell them, they would maim, shoot, burn, and bruise. And then they'd escape and continue their lives of criminality. But Rick can't have that. He needs them with him. As selfish as he thinks this is, he can't tell them. _Orders are orders._  
  
        "It doesn't matter if he left a trail. We know where he is now: Gotham. We need to get in there and drag Jester's ass back to Waller." Flag growled, "Unless you want to deal with her when she's angry."  
  
        June sighed, shaking her head, "What else can we do?"  
  
        "Oh no, no' jus' yet." Digger jabbed his finger at Diablo, who didn't even flinch. "Tha' man who attacked us was Fiyah Boy's brother-in-law. Are we just gonna ignore tha' fact?"   
  
        "He _was_  my brother in law." Diablo corrected.  
  
        "Oh, he  _was_  your brother-in-law. _So sorry."_  
  
Chato rolled his eyes, pushing himself off the door frame and making his way out the room. "It ain't your business." He said in an ice cold tone. None of them had imagined Diablo could be this scary. He was always so quiet... But he can still be a feared gang leader if he ever chooses.  
  
        They decided to not ask again.   
  
...  
  
        "We're home!" Joker sang. The words bounced from wall to wall in the empty mansion. Laughter followed soon after, echoing throughout the house.  
  
        "Oh, I've missed this place!" Jester stretched, smiling ear-to-ear. The biggest thing he missed when in that damn asylum was 'The Circus Mansion' Jesse liked to call it. There was always laughter ringing through the rooms. Or gunshots. Or a mixture of the two. It was one of the many quirks he loved about the house.  
  
        "I think we should do something very special for Family Night today, since we missed so many together, What do ya think, Puddin'?" Harley grinned, throwing away her bat carelessly. It clattered to the ground. Jester was long gone, racing to his room by the long, curling staircase.   
  
        The Circus Mansion was a Gothic Victorian house with a circus-like twist. It was in the middle of no where, since the Joker never tolerated noisy neighbors. Red carpet patterns swirled the floors while the ceiling was decorated with a large black chandelier. Dark, marble pillars stood proudly in front of the swirl of a staircase. Mahogany furniture laced with deep green cloth decorated each room. The circus touch to it came from Harley.   
  
        A display of her favorite colorful masks, weapons, and knives was mounted in the living room. Black and red diamond patterned curtains hung by each window. In gold, circus styled letters, one word stood above the fireplace: CRAZY. Beneath it was a family portrait.  
  
        "The circus is in town, Harls. Wouldn't it be fun to show them what real clowns look like?" Joker grinned manically. Harley cackled.  
  
        "I'll call Pumpkin. Let me get ready." She giggled, heading to her walk-in closet. The green haired male grabbed her before she took another step, giving a hungry kiss before letting her go. She giggled.  
  
        "See ya later, Puddin'."   
  
        Jester sighed, changing into more comfortable clothes. Slipping on a black tshirt, bright red suit jacket and some jeans, he sunk into his bed. It's been a long, long two days. First, he was forced into a suicide mission with fellow criminals, his parents died, he flirted with a frickin' _good guy (And he flirted back!),_ he saw his ex-teacher,  and then his parents came back from the dead and they escaped. He shrugged to himself, he's had worse days.  
  
        "Pumpkin!"  A loud knock rang behind his door. His ears groaned in protest, he shoved a pillow on top of his head.   
  
        "Five minutes!" The door opened, a cleaned up Harley appeared. Her pink and blue dyed hair are now in pretty curls, she's sporting her golden dress (like in that bar scene). "What's the point of even knocking if you're just gonna barge in." Jester grumbled, though it was muffled by the pillow.  
  
        "We're goin' out for family night. Get ready! And take a shower!"   
  
        "Yeah, Mum!" He let out another groan when Harley left the room with the door still open. He'll just spray some cologne and say he showered.  
  
.....  
  
        "Where to for family night?" Jester asked excitedly. Harley couldn't help but grin widely at her son's enthusiasm. She knew she missed this, but she didn't know how desperately she needed it. To be with her clown family.  
  
        "We're going to the circus!"  Joker answered. They headed to their black limo. The Lamborghini could only fit so many. Besides, it's easier to blend in with the crowds. A bright purple Lambo always seemed to catch the attention of a certain bat. They can't have him ruin family night this time.  
  
        As Joker expected, when they entered it sparked startled gasps, nervous murmuring, and some lady in the back of the circus tent let out a terrified scream. The criminal rolled his eyes. They could be a little more original. Despite that, he laughed, "Hello!"  
  
        "Heya!" Harley added in cheerfully. Behind them stood Joker's men, carrying all sorts of weapons courtesy of Jester's company. Lazily slinging an arm around her boyfriend, she scanned the crowd briefly. The audience was filled with pale faces, a couple even going green. This will be fun!  
  
        "It's a bit of an insult, don't ya think?" Joker said thoughtfully, swinging his cane, "That they forgot to invite the clowns to the circus?"  
  
        The crowd stayed silent, staring at them in horror. He pulled out his gun and shot to the sky. The holes in the tent the only evidence of the shots. Shouts came from the audience. Adults rose from their seats but never took a step forward. Parents hid their children behind their back while they cowered. "ANSWER ME!" Joker screamed.  
  
        "Y-you leave these people alone!" A teenage boy took a step forward. Curly brown hair framed the boy's face, falling over his big doe eyes. 'He wants to play hero' Jester noticed. He glanced behind the kid, seeing a girl his age looking panicked. Jester scoffed, 'No. He just wants to impress his girlfriend.'  
  
        "And why should we do that?" Jesse drawled. "What, you gonna kill me? Here." He pulled out his pistol. The kid took a large step back at the sight of it. The weapons dealer snickered at the sight before setting it in the other man's hand. "Go on. Do it."  
  
        He stared down at the gun in his hand, dumbfounded. "Huh?"  
  
        "You heard me. C'mon, pull the trigger." Jester said, somewhat calmly. He grabbed the boy's hand, positioning his fingers to the right way to hold a gun. With the kid's finger on the trigger, Jesse put it up to his forehead. "See? And then you pull the trigger like this." Jester made a gun with his fingers, motioning his thumb as the trigger. "So? Do it. Right now. If you kill me, my parent's will leave and all of you can live." That was a total lie, but he wanted to have fun with this.  
  
        "I- Uh-" The teenager's pale face was now a deep green. A grin broke out from his face.

        "You have ten seconds to pull the trigger. One. Two. Three." Jester couldn't stop grinning, his hands shook from adrenaline and excitement. The voices were laughing at the teenager. He wouldn't pull the trigger. They all knew it. "Four. Five. Six. Seven." The teenager was shaking now, too. Jesse highly doubted it was from excitement. "Eight. Nine. Ten." He never pulled the trigger. Harley, who was watching the entire scene, laughed hysterically.   
  
        "Pussy." She grinned, wiping a tear from her eye.  
  
        "Anyone else want to speak?" Joker questioned. The teenage boy stood stiffly at his spot, still visibly shaking. Jester sighed in annoyance, snatching the pistol back and shooting the teen between the eyes.  
  
        "Cam!" A girl screamed, though someone held her back. He rose his brows.  
  
        "You want me to shoot you, too?" He asked casually. The girl's lips trembled, tears beginning to reveal itself. Jester rolled his eyes. People can be so dramatic.  
  
        "Well, what's everyone waiting for? Let's start the show!" With Joker's order, his men began to shoot. Bullets cascaded through the air, making holes in the tent. Bodies dropped from left and right while screams cut through the sound of shots. Harley cackled at the chaos, nodding at some of their henchmen to release Bud and Lou, her pet hyenas. 'It's been a while since they had a snack.' Harley thought affectionately, watching her precious babies rip apart the ringleader.  
  
        Everyone was either shooting, screaming, laughing, or all three. Jester being the latter, giggling to himself while he shot down that guy's girlfriend. Carl, was his name? Whatever, as long as he could get her to stop sobbing so obnoxiously loud. It was messing with his head. Though even after shooting her down, her cries didn't leave his head. He twitched, 'Don't tell me she's gonna be joining the rest of them.' Jester thought, ignoring the voices laughing in his head, now mixed in with the girl's insistent wailing.  
  
        Suddenly, a flash of black appeared, disappearing at the same speed. Jester frowned, this better not be who he thinks it is... "Let the people go, Joker." A familiar deep voice spoke. The family's henchmen stopped shooting, swiveling their heads to find the source. One of them dropped, a bat shaped throwing knife lodged in his throat. Another fell. Then another and another...  
  
        "Batsy!" His father greeted cheerfully, mouth open in a sick grin. "Are ya here to join family night?"  
  
        Harley huffed impatiently. She hated Batman with a burning passion and would happily skin him if she had the chance. The bat could always get the attention of her Puddin' in a way she never could. And that pissed her off. "Puddin', he's ruining family night!" She whined.  
  
        "Not now, Harley." He shushed her.   
  
        "How'd you find us? This tent is in the middle of no where!" Growled Jesse, who was also quite angry at the interruption of his bonding time.  
  
        "Anonymous tip." The husky voice of the Bat answered. Over half their men's blood stained the dirt. The hero was outnumbered. But then, something Jester never would have expected happened. A loud, familiar growl sounded behind the tent. Killer Croc bounded in the big hut taking out a third of their henchmen. Jester froze on his spot. He helped them... Why are they...?  
  
        "Babies!" Harley screeched. The hyenas dashed towards the crocodile-man. They stopped abruptly, a dart found in both the animals. 'Shit.' Jester thought, 'This definitely will not end well.' His mother gasped before letting out a bellowing shriek. "You'll pay for that!" She screeched, shooting in random directions with her machine gun.  
  
        "Harley?!"  
  
        "Diablo?! Wai- Croc! What the hell?!"  
  
        "Nice to see you again, Harley. We'll be taking you and your son back to prison now." Rick ordered, stepping into the tent followed by the rest of the squad.  
  
        "She isn't going anywhere with you." Joker growled.  
  
        "Yeah, she is." Digger shot back.  
  
        "Oh really? Whatcha gonna do about it?" Challenged Jester. Amanda can kiss her own ass before he let's anything happen to his mother.


	9. I Don't Know What To Call It

      'Those fucking motherfuckers are traitors!' Jester thought. He clenched his fist, watching his ex-comrades with a fiery glare. He helped them. He set them  _free_  and that's when they decide to play good guy?  _Bullshit._ "Oh really?" The teen growled, "Whatcha gonna do about it?"  
  
        "C'mon Chico, don't let this end in a fight." Said Diablo. That only pissed him off more. He shouldn't even be angry at their betrayal. They weren't friends, why would they need to be loyal? They're all criminals for crying out loud! He was the one that betrayed them in the first place. Despite that, it still fucking hurt.  
  
        "We both know nothing will stop that from happening." Joker snapped. The squad and the clowns stood face to face, tension thick in the air. It was a stare down. No one dared speak. That was until someone did.  
  
        "This is ridiculous!" Harley huffed, turning up her nose. "I'm not gonna go with you and I'm not letting you lay a finger on my Puddin' or my Pumpkin. So fuck off!"  
  
        "No, we will not fuck off." June, of all people, snarled. She stomped up to the blonde woman, ignoring her rapid-beating heart. "If you don't come back with us, we'll all die. All of us!"  
  
        "Get out of the way, Doctor." Jester said through clenched teeth.  _Traitors... traitors..._  
  
        The archaeologist stared into her friend's(?) eyes, pursing her lips. "No."  
  
        And like a bomb hitting zero, everything exploded. Gunshots, boomerangs, and all the sort were flying in all different directions. The clowns were holding themselves very well even with their amount of henchmen dwindling.  Jester whipped his throwing knives at Croc and Diablo, who he was especially angry at. Don't ask him why, he didn't  know the answer. Deadshot was nowhere to be found, though there had been mysterious bullets shooting at them.  
  
        June didn't like this. She really didn't like this. Jester was the only one who had welcomed her into the squad when she first came. The rest had shun her, instantly labeling the woman as  'good and weak' and they never could be bothered to speak to her. Jester never cared about her powers. Honestly, he didn't care at all. That's what she liked about him. But now that June's really looking at him, she couldn't help but be reminded of the cruel reality of life. Jester was a bad guy, a killer without a drop of remorse, and with blood stained on his cheek and a crazed glow to his movements, you can smell the insanity. June couldn't bear it. "Enchantress..."  
  
        The doctor was replaced by a dark shadow, no one had noticed it by the time the Enchantress teleported. "Fight them." Rick ordered. She grimaced at the man, following orders. The woman disappeared again, reappearing and disappearing at amazing speed. With her help, they had taken out over half of the remaining henchmen.   
  
        He had heard it.  _"Enchantress..." '_ Oh shit.' He spun in a circle, trying to catch sight of the alien thing. A haunting laugh echoed through the air. It sent shivers down his spine,  
  
         _"Let's do something fun..."_  
        Jester swore out loud, dodging a boomerang inches from his face. He twisted his head again, looking for the Enchantress. But then he saw something...  _Someone_.  
  
        Someone he knew fairly well. "Mom?" He whispered.  
        "Jester! Let's go! Right now!" Harley screamed. She dragged Jester to the other side of the tent, where a makeshift exit waited for them. Though he never ripped his eyes away from the figure no one else saw. Joker growled, shoving his son into the limo. They were going to fucking regret going against him. But they forgot one factor.  
        As they escaped, a large, black car chased after them. The Batmobile.  
  
        "Fuck!" Harley cursed, thankful their limo was bullet proof. Still. "Shit!" She swore again. The car was catching up to them. Joker slammed his foot on the pedal, going way to fast to be legal. Not that they would care. The Bat was right beside them now. "Pumpkin, gimme your gun!" The woman snatched it out of her son's hand, opening the window slightly and shooting blindly at the car. It barely made a dent.  
        "Go, go, go!" She ordered. They sped up, turning and turning until they finally lost him. Finally, Jester snapped out of his daze. Another family night, ruined.  
...  
        "TRAITORS! ALL OF THEM!" Jester cursed, slamming an expensive vase into broken shards.  Joker was pacing in front of the fire place, growling and muttering to himself while Harley lounged in a plush green couch, exhausted.  
        "You need to calm down, Pumpkin." Sighed the blonde. Joker shook his head.  
        "The boy is in the right direction, Harls. They were able to outsmart me and I've never even met them."  
        "Don't worry, we'll get them back."  
        "This is your fault." The green haired man accused. "If you hadn't of asked me to turn off their bombs they wouldn't have gone after us!"  
        "Oh, so it's my fault?! And what were you doing when we were escaping?! You were driving like a old lady!" She snarled. Jester watched the two fight with a irritated gaze. Now was not the time, really. If they knew where they were in the circus, why wouldn't they know the location of the mansion? But his thoughts weren't  on that, it was the Enchantress' illusion. His mother.

        He had completely froze at the sight of her. She had still sported the cut on the neck he gave her. Jester used to see her all the time in dreams, even in real life at the asylum when he was left with nothing but his thoughts. So then, why did he freeze?

  
        "You two aren't helping." Jester pinched the bridge of his nose. "If anything, they're gonna come at us again. This time without the element of surprise which is one of our only advantages." He had hated Adelram with a burning passion but he admitted the asshole was a good teacher. To sell weapons, you needed to have the mindset of the buyer. Strategy was a big factor for goods to sell. "We can get weapons from HQ across Gotham, but that'll get their attention and come to us."  
        "A trap." Joker realized, a wicked grin spread across the man's face. "I like your thinking, Sonny."  
...  
  
        "They got away." Grunted Batman. The squad had gathered outside the tent, waiting impatiently for the superhero to return.  
        "Oh, great." Deadshot scoffed, "You can't even do your job right."  
        "You're lucky I haven't thrown you back in prison, Deadshot."  
        "You're lucky I haven't put a bullet in your face!"  
         "Thanks for your help." Rick nodded, ignoring Floyd's childish glare. "Amanda sends her gratitude."  
        "Alright." Batman cast a suspicious glance at the villains. "Are you sure you can keep them under control on your own?"  
        "He has help." Katana added.  
        "Okay." The man hopped into his Batmobile, driving off at a speed way too fast to be safe. Once he was far enough, Bruce went on his phone and called the one number on speed dial. "Alfred, I need you to keep an eye on some people."  
...  
        "What were they to you?" Joker suddenly questioned. They were driving to their son's HQ in their Lamborghini, Jester driving in his own car behind them.  
        "Them?" Harley questioned. She thought back to the jokes they shared, the combat, the sad backstories each of them had and ignored. What are they her? 'Traitors' She immediately thought. But before that, what were they to her? Friends? She had known them for a couple hours. Allies? No, they all would've killed each other to escape. What were they?

  
        "I don't know what to call it." She finally answered. She thought back to Floyd, whom she was closest with. What was he? Harley shook her head. They had finally reached HQ. It was showtime.


	10. Never Again

     It all started with a whisper. Just a couple, she was able to ignore them at first. But the woman could never ignore the voice of her husband. She was filled with vengeance, the tally of voices from her sword becoming more and more. Avenge the man she loved, that was her goal. Get rid of all corruption. She wondered what she would've thought of herself now, fighting side-by-side with murderers and thieves. And to make it worse, she  _likes them._ The kind people she would have killed with no hesitation if she had the chance. But she really did like them, even the Australian, despite him being the most annoying of the lot.   
        "Hey Darl'!" Tatsu's eyes snapped to Digger, her glare evident. He ignored it though, which she found strange. Her glare could probably kill a man and here's this weird Australian guy, not even flinching? Odd indeed. He chuckled. "Whoa, there, Sheila. You were jus' really spaced out." She grunted, her eyes going back on the trail.  
        "You okay?" Croc later asked. 'Why are you asking?' The woman wanted to snap, but she kept control, because she was polite.   
        "I'm fine." She hissed through gritted teeth. They need to stop pestering her. Do they think she can't take care of herself? Well, they damn well know she can take them all out in a moment's notice. That's the whole point she's even there! The idea that they don't believe in her independence baffled her. Tatsu was snapped back into reality when Croc began to speak again. "I gotta ask, why did you agree to come with us?"  
        "Rick is my ally." She answered immediately, "I watch his back and he watches mine."  
        "But you hate him." He stated. Katana furrowed her brows behind the mask.  
        "Why would you think that?"  
        "I'm not smart, but don't think I can't see you roll your eyes and scoff behind his back." He answered. The crocodile man was right.The group had randomly stopped in an alleyway. The two lingered in the back. She resisted the urge to gag at the smell of smoke and feces. It was dark, the moon blocked by dark clouds. An alleyway isn't a place to be at this time, especially in a city like Gotham.

        "I am not fond of him." Tatsu confirmed, glaring at the old dumpster and graffiti. She thought back to the fight with the Gotham city clowns, do they even have a plan?   
        "Then why are you here?" Waylon asked in his rumbling voice. They both stared as Rick talked to a strange, balding, old man near the dumpster. 'I guess we don't have a plan.' She concluded. This was stupid, she didn't even want to be here. Katana could be taking out bad guys, but no, she had to help Rick babysit.  
        "I owe Waller a debt." She answered. "She gives me information and I do missions for her in return."  
        "Do you?" Floyd smirked. Where did he come from? "I guess we do all have something in common. None of us want to be here." She silently agreed.  
        "I have a lead!" Rick said, coming up to the trio. "The man over there saw a purple lamborghini and a black sports car pass by this road. And where is this road leading to?" The colonel randomly pulled out a map of Gotham. The rest watched, brows raised. "Spades HQ. Jester's company building."  
        "So we're just gonna count on a crazy hobo man hiding behind a dumpster that he saw two very specific cars that pass him?" June snapped. Seeing her boyfriend's offended frown, she shook her head, "I'm just being realistic, babe."  
        "The sheila's right, mate. This coul' be a trap."   
        "Then we check first. And if it is, we'll sneak up on them." Rick reasoned.   
        They all shrugged. "I guess..." Digger hesitantly agreed, "I'll check. You think we're close enough to the buildin'?"

        "Yes. Why?" Tatsu questioned with narrowed eyes. Boomer grinned. He pulled out one of his boomerangs, though this one looked different from the ones he used in the past battles. This one had black paint messily scribbled in the middle of the weapon          
        "This is a camerang." Boomer boasted, "Before I rob a snobby bank I always throw this to see if any meaty body guards that'd be in my way. Bu' I'd be able to take 'em either way." He winked at Tatsu. She scoffed, a secret smile tugging at her lips.  
        "Camerang?" She chortled, surprising the rest of the squad.  
        "You name all your boomerangs, camarada?" Diablo asked, not impressed.   
        "What? No!" He hastily denied. Floyd snorted.  
        "I bet you have three named after your pink unicorn you think we don't know about." Deadshot snickered  
        "Don't talk about Pinky like that." Boomer snapped, "'Sides, I only named one of 'em after 'er."  
...  
        "Is this really gonna work?" One of Jester's employees questioned, feeling hesitant at fighting the world's most wanted villains. It was ironic, since he was working for the youngest criminal of the century. Jester sighed irritably,  
        "I didn't hire you to be a pussy, Jim." The teen snapped, "God, go mop the floors or do whatever the fuck I hired you to do in the first place."   
        The HQ was big and tidy. Being a criminal doesn't give you many options in retail so Jester had to settle for an abandoned building at the edge of Gotham. It had an infinite amount of rooms, almost like a maze. Anyone who hasn't been in the building multiple times could never make their way through this place smoothly. It was the perfect trap.  
        "Are ya sure the hobo you hired will know to tell the right group of people, Puddin'?" Harley questioned. Joker sighed.  
        "I know what I'm doing, Harls." He snapped.   
        "Alright, alright! I'm just asking! Jeez." Their son rolled his eyes at their old marriage bickering. Finding the last set of rounds they'll probably need, he plopped down and watched his parents fight for the third time since they left the mansion.  
....  
        "What other boomerangs do you have, hm? A lazerang, I bet you have one." Croc teased.  
        "Can you guys shut up already?" Digger moaned, pouting behind Katana. She did not look amused. Diablo snickered, sending Katana sympathetic eyes and a wide grin.  
        "Is that the building?" June asked, pointing at a large, old, factory. A daunting fence loomed around it, dead grass decorating the ground. The archaeologist wrinkled her nose at the smell of polluted water and trash from the right side of the building where the body of water stood between them and Metropolis.  
        "Yeah, that's the one. Digger, ready your camerang." Ordered Rick. A series of snickers sounded around the Aussie. He sighed, scratching his scruffy chin.  
        "I'm gonn' need a better angle than this, mate."  
        "You know angles?"  
        "Yeah, y'know, 360 and all tha' crap. Ya can't just throw a boomerang or everyone would have it as a weapon." The thief grinned, running to the other end of the street. Getting out his camerang, the man angled his arm in a way that only a professional could. A loud whipping noise sounded through the air, the camerang gone.  
        "Wait a minute..." He said with an excited grin. Finally, he got to do something. It was silent, everyone waiting in anticipation for the camerang to come back. It zoomed pass them, Digger catching it in one hand with ease. He pressed a button none of them noticed. A small hard drive popped out.  
        "Alrigh', go' some tech we coul' hook this baby up?"  
        "We have a bit of tech with us, yeah. Smith, bring up the device." The man, Smith, glared as he passed the team of villains. Deadshot shot him a knowing smirk.   
        "Scott." Floyd greeted.  
        "Smith." The other man corrected, grumbling to himself. Smith handed Rick an odd looking tablet. Rick shoved the hard drive into the electronic, static appearing on the screen. The static cleared, showing the inside of Spades HQ. Five guards at the front, another five at the back. And about a dozen of them surrounding the perimeter. That's not so bad, right?  
        "Piece of cake." Croc scoffed. Rick squinted, an uneasy feeling pulling at his stomach. He doesn't know the kid well, but if there's one thing he learned from the brat:

        _"Well, I'm an illegal arms dealer, Mum taught me how to fight and Dad taught me how to shoot so I'm just as good as they are. I should also mention that I own the biggest weapons trade in Gotham. Does that count as something?" He smiled, looking around at all the shocked faces. **"You shouldn't underestimate youth these days."** Jester winked._  
        Never underestimate someone as young and crazy as Jester Quinn. "Stop. Go back a little." Rick ordered, they rewound the tape. Deadshot took a closer look at the footage, sensing something wrong as well. It paused, they all caught sight of the small security weapons littered all over the factory yard casually. The colonel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "There's now way we can get through that much security."  
        "Excuse you." Boomerang scoffed, snatching the tablet from Rick's hands, "I ge' past security for a _living_. Leave it ta me, mate. Though, we can't sneak in with a freakin' army behin' us. Some of us gotta be lef' behin'."  
         "Woah, you're not actually gonna trust them, right Colonel?" Smith choked. Everyone turned to the soldier, who was speechless. Was he? Would he really put his and his comrades' lives in the hands of criminals? But they're his comrades now, too. Even so, would he send them into a death trap with no supervision without thinking of the possibility of betrayal? No, they're more than that.  
        "I am trusting them." Rick finally said.  
        Floyd rose his brows, a grin crashing on his face. He passed by Flag, slapping him on the back on his way out. "I dunno if I should be flattered, but thanks." The villains tailed after the appointed 'Dad' of the group. Rick shook his head, though he didn't regret his decision.   
        Diablo was the last one there. He was staring at the colonel with his intense brown eyes. "This might bite you later on, brother." The man warned him in a low voice. Flag shrugged.   
        "I agree." He answered.  
....  
        "Okay, you saw that big vault in on the first floor?" Deadshot asked. The group nodded. "I've seen a ton of those in missions. They 're filled with all kinds of goodies. Snipers, assault rifles, all the good shit. We get to that, we might actually have a chance of living through this thing."  
        "If we could even make it that far." Diablo pointed out.  
        "Ya gotta be more positive, mate."   
        "He has a point." June argued. Their eyes settled on the small woman, they had almost forgot she was there. "How the hell would we even make it there without Jester, Harley, and Joker noticing and not dying or getting injured on the way there?"  
        "A distraction." Tastsu answered. Diablo turned to Croc. Deadshot, Boomerang, and Katana following in the gesture. June also glanced at the crocodile man. Waylon huffed, crossing his arms.  
        "Fine, I'll charm them with my good looks."


	11. 11. It's Hard to Say

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas y'all <3

 

 

Surprisingly, Waylon agreed all too easily. Chato thought, no, he knew this was going to end in complete disaster as he looked at Croc's excited smile.   
They sneaked behind the fence, watching the five guards in the entrance. June and Diablo hung in the back, both scowling. "This is a bad idea." June mutters, glancing at the villains in front of her. Chato nods, sighing to himself. Croc retreated under the sewers, planning to bust out in front of the guards. From there, the others will take them out and they'll split up and get rid of the remaining guards. June questioned how this counted as 'sneaking in'.  
Deadshot heard Croc's groundshaking roar, readying his guns with a smile. The sewer plate flew up in the air, revealing a humanoid crocodile. Waylon Jones. With one punch, three men were already down. Boomer whooped.  
"What are ya waitin' for, mate?!" He grins, sprinting to the increasing amount of guards. Katana shook her head, pulling out her soul sword and calmly walking after the Aussie. The others followed. "Let's go!"   
Rogue boomerangs flew around the area. Bullets were shot. Punches were thrown. Twelve guards stood against the squad. They didn't stand a chance.   
Croc smiles, giggling gleefully as his teeth ripped into another victim. Deadshot shot the men, almost in a casual way while Diablo and June chose to fight together without their powers. He swung the punches, while June surprisingly stood well on her own at his back. Boomer felt adrenaline flow through his veins like a drug.  
A loud slash whipped through the air behind the Aussie. A man fell to the ground, headless. A ghostly, almost whispering scream flowed in the air. Boomer stood, eyes wide as the scream cut off when Tatsu sheathed her sword.  Her eyes, which were all black, went back to their usual honey brown irises.  
"Wha' was tha'?!"  
"Don't expect me to do that again." Said Tatsu, narrowing her eyes. She strode away, leaving the bad guys shell shocked. Digger turned to the rest of them, his mouth gaped.  
"Did I see tha' righ"?! I must be fuckin' high or something!" He says excitedly. Floyd snaps out of it, glancing at the Asian woman who was already too far away from them. The man jogs up to her, his brows furrowed.   
"You saved Boomerang?" Deadshot questioned, "Out of all of us you saved the asshole?"  
  
Katana grunted, her eyes scanning the oddly empty perimeter. Why didn't they send for more troops? Despite Tatsu's obvious signs of wanting silence, Floyd wasn't giving up.   
"So that's what Flag meant when he ranted 'bout your sword." The man said, "Remind me not to piss you off if I haven't yet already."   
...  
It was a challenge trying to figure out how they could sneak in Croc, but they decided to keep him guard. They planned to get him after they stole the guns from the vault.   
"There's no way they haven't noticed us coming." Diablo pointed out. "More troops will be here soon."   
"And by that time, we'll have our guns." Deadshot answered, gesturing to the hall on their right. "It should be over here. Let's get moving ladies."   
"I'm saying this now. This is a bad idea." June tried once again to change their minds. Deadshot wasn't having it.   
"I heard you say it the first time, Princess." He sighs, "You should have stayed back with your boyfriend."   
"But I didn't." She answered stubbornly, "So you're just gonna have to deal with me. Besides, maybe I could even be some help if you'd actually let me."   
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say."   
"You know what?!" June hisses. Chato, who was walking in front of them, whipped around, looking like a frustrated mother.   
"Can you two stop arguing?" He sighs, gesturing to the empty hallway. Tatsu and Digger was leading ahead in the other hallway. "The troops are gonna find us if you don't-"

A booming string of Australian accented curses sounded down the hallway.  "Oh fu- Run!"    
Tatsu and Digger appeared, their face tense as they sprinted towards them. "Run!" Booming footsteps followed, the ground shaking. An army of Joker's men were a few feet behind them, dressed in creepy, dirty, costumes. Diablo cursed under his breath.   
They ran. Though it was hopeless. Guns were aimed and ready to fire all around them before they could take another step. The men 'escorted' them to the main office. Jester's office.

"Hello, ladies and guests!" Jesse greeted, spinning around in his office chair. The whole criminal family was lounging around the room. Joker sat on the love couch on the side, Harley sitting unnecessarily in his lap. Jester looked extremely different despite being apart for only one day. Instead of his spiky crimson hair, it was slicked back with way too much gel in fancy way like his father. His black and red plaid suit was replaced with a simple pitch black leather jacket, black jeans, and a plain red shirt. It was clear he was trying hard to impress.   
"It's been a while, Pipsqueak." Deadhsot grunted, stopping at the entrance. His eyes were narrowed, his mouth twisted in a frown. He doesn't glance at Harley. "Long time, no see."   
Jester smiled back, his eyes flashing. "You don't sound so happy to see me. Please, don't stand in the doorway. Come in!"   
The men dragged them in. Harley and Joker watch in silent pride as their son grows to be what they raised him to be his whole life, a bad guy.   
"You're no' going ta' get away with this you little prick!"  
Jester snorted, rolling his eyes. "You're starting to sound like a good guy." The teen scoffs. Digger growls, fighting the guard's grip. He smiles, walking forward so he was face to face with all of them, "You've caused my family a lot of trouble."  
  
"You're new." Harley purrs, striding towards Moone. Tatsu takes a step forward, her eyes glaring behind the mask. Harley giggles, turning her attention to the Asian woman. "I remember you." She grins. Katana doesn't answer. "Aw, still not talking? Too bad."  
"I will not speak to the likes of you." Katana states. Instead of being offended, Harley giggles, resting her hand on her hips with a smirk.   
"So it does speak! You won't speak to me but you'll speak to the other bad guys?" Katana stayed silent, though stubbornly. She refused to fall the blonde's mind tricks. Harley tilted her head, her brows raised. "You think you're so tough, don't ya? Is it because your Daddy wanted a boy and you just had to fill the role, hm? I'm right aren't I?" Katana clenched her jaw. "Are you scared?" The other woman grins.  
They met eyes, Katana lifted her mask. "I... am not afraid."   
"Jester, did you miss one?" Joker grunts. His son shook his head.    
"There was only those five." He answers, his eyes scanning over the suicide squad again. "Where are the others?"   
"I ain't telling you shit." Floyd spat.  
"We'll see about that, friend."


	12. Don't Touch Him

_'They should be back by now.'_ Rick thought, glancing at his watch for the fifteenth time. Smith and McDonald stood smugly behind him. Smith coughed.  
"You shouldn't have trusted them, Colonel." Said the man. A series of grunts and nods came from the others.   
"I probably shouldn't have." He agrees, "But I did. So fuck off." Flag rose from his spot, loading his gun. He walks towards Spades HQ. "Now let's go save those sons of bitches."  
....  
"Now, now, Jester, my boy. Let me handle this and go outside." Joker grins, patting his son's shoulder. "It's been a while since you've had a breath of fresh air. Harley, go with him."  
"But Pudd-"  
"Go."  
With gritted teeth, Jester strode out his office as calmly as he could, Harley following promptly. The teen's face felt like fire. He wanted to barge back in there and demand to stay. As it was of course, _him_ who captured them in _his_ HQ.   
"I know that face." Harley said sternly, "Don't you do anything stupid."   
Jesse sighed, "Yes, Mum."  
...  
Joker turned back to the others, baring his metallic teeth in an animal-like smile. "And how are we doing today, folks?"   
"What the hell you want, clown?" Deadshot grimaced. After Jester and Harley left, Joker had also shooed away the guards as well, leaving the villains (and Tatsu) with the green-haired bad guy. His smile disappeared, slamming his fist against the mahogany desk.  
"Now, now, Mr. Deadshot." The man snarled, waving his finger, "There's no need to be rude."  
"I should just kill you right now."  
"You probably should." Joker took a step forward. Tatsu watched, her body stiff. She had to admit, Joker seemed more animal than man. It's hard to think he  was the one who raised Jester. "I must say, your daughter is a sweetie. I wouldn't want her to get hurt. Do something I don't like and I'll have the guards bring her here for a little chat."  
"Hey man, don't drag kids into this." Warned Chato. Floyd didn't say anything, glaring a hole into Joker's head.   
"Waller should have thought about that before dragging _my_ kid into this. _And_ my girl." He continued, "I have a proposition for you, anyway. I'll get those bombs out your throats and in return, you work for me."  
"I promised myself to never work for guys like you again." Diablo crossed his arms, looking straight into the devil's eyes. "Kill me if you want, but I won't." Joker's lips twitched, brows raised. 'He doesn't look very disappointed.' June observed.   
"You also promised to never kill your family and here you are! Haha!"   
Chato's tattooed eyelids flutter closed. He didn't speak for a moment, the others put into shocked silence. "It was an accident." He said firmly.   
"Setting a house on fire and killing your wife and children isn't something you call an accident, friend." Joker gave him a smile, shrugging his shoulders. "But what can you do, ya know?" Diablo lowered his head.  
"Wai' just a sec, ya green highlighter." Boomer spoke for the first time in ages, jabbing his hand in Joker's direction. Tatsu's head snapped towards him.   
"Digger. Don't." She hissed.   
"We've all done bad shit. So don't pick on the Fireboy when you've probably done much worse." Everyone stared at him for a long time, eyes widened slightly. He ignored them. "What do we get if we work for you?"  
"You get to live."   
"Tha' sounds fair. Fine. Ya got yourself a deal."  
"Digger!"  
"Don't kid yourself, Darl'." He shook his head, "We don't have a choice."  
"Yes we do. We'll die with our heads high." Katana growled. Joker looked back and forth between the two, waiting weirdly patiently.   
"Ya jus' don't get it do you?! That's no' how it works 'round 'ere!"

"He's right, Katana. I got my daughter to take care of." Floyd gave a defeated sigh, turning his head towards the Joker, "How much do you pay with each job?"  
"You're both pussies!" June seethed, "Rick trusted you."   
"And that's his fault for making such a shitty decision." Deadshot retorted. Joker smiled, opening the door.   
"I'll send my men if I ever need you for a job." He said, "Pleasure doing business with you, boys."   
"Hold up. I'm not done talking to you." Floyd grabbed the Joker's arm firmly. Instantly, the guards in the hallway had their guns up and ready to fire. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt him. Put the damn guns down." He leaned towards the man, a glare burning in his brown eyes. "I've seen Harley's scars. And I know she wouldn't let the bitch who hurt her get away with it... unless it was you. Y'see, you don't get to do that anymore. 'Cause if I see another scratch on her, I'll shoot you myself."   
"Hands off the suit, friend." The green haired man, smoothly slid Deadshot's hand off the purple cloth. "I... appreciate your advice, but no one talks to me that way."   
One guard, dressed as Batman, grabbed his arms, others soon joining in to drag the shooter away from the others. Floyd growled, whipping away from the fake Batman. ' _Of fucking course it was dressed as Batman'_    
"What the hell, man!? He took the deal, he can't work for you if he's dead!" Chato shouted. Joker raised his hand and the guards dropped their hold.   
"You know what? You're right. But you don't work for me. I'm sure you and Gabriel have a lot to talk about." With a snap, the guards left Deadshot's side and pounced on Diablo. Surprisingly, he didn't fight, didn't speak. The Latino walked with them willingly, his heart dropping to his stomach thinking about meeting his ex-brother-in-law once again.   
....  
"Hey, where are you going?" Jester questioned, striding into a separate empty meeting room Harley was subsiding in.   
"I know where Flag and his soldier boys are hiding. Thought I should pay 'em a visit is all." She answers, gazing out the glass walls. She could see Jester's weak reflection stare back at her.  
"I'm coming, then."   
"No, you're not."  
"Why?"  
"It's business. I'll bring you next time. Pinky promise."   
"Mum." Jesse shook his head, sagging into an empty chair at an empty round table. "You can't keep me away from this stuff forever."   
She knew he was right. God, how she didn't want him to be. Harley wasn't perfect, she knew that. The woman could even call herself the worst of the worst. And her stepson was following in her footsteps. She knew she was being hypocritical and selfish whenever she stopped Jester from coming with her on 'business.' And hell, she knew there was no stopping him from becoming like his father. The woman was okay with her doing the killing and the  the crimes, but Jester... That's when she began to hesitate.   
"That won't stop me from tryin'." Harley smiled, kissing her son on the forehead. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug, making her wince slightly. Jesse drew away in an instant.   
"It's those bruises, isn't it? The ones Dad gave you?"  
"Pumpkin, we've been over this already. 'Sides, I gotta go visit Flag."   
Being the Queen of Gotham meant to have everything at your fingertips. And Harley wasn't going to let that waste. She may be dating the King of Criminals, but that doesn't mean she's just a ditzy trophy girl. The woman was as cold-blooded, cunning, and merciless as her lover. She gathered the sharp shooters and muscle men, storming towards Flag and his buddies. he wouldn't know what hit him.

And he had no idea. Rick gaped at the small army-though bigger than his own- of criminals. Leading them in sharp heels and even sharper eyeliner was Harley Quinn, wearing her pretty smile.  
"Long time, no see!" She waved her bat in greeting. Her army quickly surrounded his own. "Did ya miss me?"   
"Sure." Flag replied, glancing at the burly men around him. She may have overdone it, in his honest opinion. And his own men were all pale in the face, their fingers too close to the trigger. ' _Oh_ ,' he realized, 'it's a scare tactic.'    
"Don't you worry your pretty, little, heads. I came to talk. Just you and me, Ricky."   
"Oh..." With the looks his comrades were sending him, he probably shouldn't accept. But he knew she wouldn't kill him. She wouldn't have come here herself, just send an someone else to do it instead. He's learned the hard way not to underestimate the blonde. ' _Ah, fuck it_.' He shrugged. "Sure."   
"Flag!" Smith hissed, "You're committing suicide!"  
"Honestly, I don't disagree with you." He mutters, following Harley away from the crowd. The commander couldn't get past her guards. "Ey, Harley, d'you mind calling off your guards?"   
"Your weapons. Off." One of them grunted. Harley turned around, raising her brows expectantly.   
"You heard him." She said, "Take 'em off!"  
Okay, maybe he was regretting this slightly. With a defeated sigh, he dropped his guns and knives. Though the guards didn't let him through until he let go of anything on him that's remotely sharp. Finally, he was let through.   
"What was so important to come talk to me yourself?"   
"I need a favor." She said, her carefree tone gone in a flash. He furrowed his brows.   
"And what's that?" Rick questioned,  
"If anything happens, I want to guarantee that Jester doesn't step foot in Arkham ever again."   
"If anything happens? Wha-"  
"Y'know, if me or Puddin' gets busted and they track down Jesse. Promise me, Flag, that he won't be sent back to Arkham. They do awful things to the patients there, I know that 'cause I worked there." Her blue eyes began to shimmer, reflecting her desperation. "You need to promise me, Flag."   
"You know I can't control that, Quinn. Waller would die before she loses control over anything. Besides, where would we put him?"  
"Anywhere but there." Harley pauses, "Or Belle Reve."   
"Where are the others?"   
"They've escaped. Gone. Mr. J offered them a way out and they took it. Including your little girlfriend, who is a cutie by the way." She lied smoothly,  
"They wouldn't do that." He didn't believe any word coming out of his mouth. Neither did she.   
"Why do you keep believing we're good people? Word of advice: Stop setting yourself up for disappointment." Said Harley, "Are you gonna keep your promise or what?"  
"Alright." Rick answered hesitantly.   
"Well, pleasure doin' business with ya! I won't kill you but Puddin' might. Depends on his mood, really. Let's go, boys!" She gave him one last smile, "And d'you mind passing a message to Waller: Don't even think about touching my boy. And I mean it."


	13. Oh, Old Friend

"I'll see ya around," Joker sent them one last shivering smile, snapping his fingers. The guards grabbed the rest of the squad, dragging them away from the insane mob boss. "Oh, and don't bother crawling back to Flag. I plan to kill him before Waller has the chance to."

        "What are you gonna do with Diablo? He did nothing wrong!" June growled, the Enchantress twitching, waiting to take over. The rest fought the guards. Though Boomer was left untouched as he avoided Tatsu's disappointed gaze. 

        "What're you gonna do with 'em?" Digger asked. He immediately questions himself. Did he care? Does he still care? He shouldn't, especially with their... employment choices. But he doesn't even know if he cares at all or he's just amused by them.

        June was surprisingly the most violent of all of them. Biting, scratching, all made up with weird, inhuman growls. It all seemed hopeless. Diablo was gone. Harley and Jester has switched sides. Deadshot and Boomer just gave up and has also switched sides. What was even left of them? A crocodile man, a woman who's here against her will, and another woman who even wouldn't be here at all without the literal demon inside her. The guards had finally managed to drag June out the room, the fancy, wooden door slamming shut. 

        Joker wagged his cane at the remains of the suicide squad: Boomerang. 

        "I'll find you when I need you," He purred. "take whatever you need on your way out." With that dismissal, Digger shuffled out the door, snagging some whisky on his way out. 

        What now?

...

        Diablo was not a very honest man in his old days. And to say that he was now was an overstatement. He was trying, for sure. But when you're condemned to an isolated prison for the rest of your days, it's a bit tricky to turn your life around. 

        So when he was being walked to his murderous brother-in-law's murderous gang, Chato wondered what would've happened if he'd tried to be a decent person before it turned for the worse. Grace would be alive. His kids would be alive. Gabriel would still be an asshole, but he wouldn't hate him as much as he did now. 

        The hallway was dark and cold against his naturally warm skin. He didn't bother to pull away from the guards' tight grip. What will Gabriel do when he's delivered to his doorstep? Kill him, for sure, but he knows the man likes to be much more creative than that. ' _He sure has climbed up the ranks since I've last seen him._ ' Chato thought glumly. He had been Gabriel had been his right hand man, once. They were a small gang, just them and a couple others from the neighborhood. But they ruled the entire area. Gabriel was the ice, Chato was the fire. He was the one who'd introduced him to Grace, been the best man to their wedding, the godfather to his kids. They had gone from some teens on the wrong side of the tracks to the Joker's lackey and a shamed delinquent. My, how times have changed. 

        The pyrokinetic was pulled to reality when he heard a door screech open in the dark. The guards shoved him through the entrance way.

...

        Did Jester feel guilty about the whole betrayal thing? Nah. Almost killing them twice? They'll get over it. The teen watched the guards drag Junie and Tatsu out his headquarters through the window. He frowns, setting his rubix cube on his desk. His father had left immediately after he banished his old prison buddies, leaving Jester to take over Adelram's branch since one of Rick's rookies killed him. 

        The door behind him creaked open, he already knew who it was. "Hey, Mum." He sighed, twisting around in his office chair. He snatches back the rubix cube, predicting a long conversation ahead of him. "How'd the meeting with Flag go? What d'you guys talk about?"

        Harley shrugs, slumping into the leather love couch across him, something she doesn't do often. Her step-son raised a brow. Seeing this, she sent weak smile. 

        "Me and Flag just had a pleasant talk is all. Don't you worry, Pumpkin." 

        Jesse fiddled with the cube, spinning around in his chair. "I'm sure it was very pleasant. Truly, I do." He stated. The teen lifted his legs off the ground, letting the chair spin itself. "What're we gonna do now that Family Night was cut short?" 

        "Your father's a busy man, Pumpkin."

        "Yeah, but-" He grit his teeth, clutching the toy tightly, "How long has it been since he's seen us? You just got back from prison, I thought he'd spend a bit more time than just dropping us off here." The rubix cube snapped in his hands, the cubes scattering to the floor, "Honestly, Mum, why do you even stay with him?" 

        "Jesse!" She snapped, though she didn't say anything to argue. Jester shrugged, brushing off the plastic cubes from his lap. 

...

        Of course the door led to some stairs. Chato stumbled down the steps, shouting curses all the way down. He hit cold water, the stench wrinkling his nose. 

        "Hey, Diablo."

        "Deadshot?"

        "I'm here, too." The third voice had a familiar reptilian growl.

        "Light up this place, could you?" Floyd sounded tired, sighing. Hesitantly, Diablo lit his hand on fire. Light burst into the room. Well, now that he can see it, it wasn't much of a room. Mold stuck to all four walls as well as rusting pipes.  Water, at least he hoped it was water, soaked their shoes. Deadshot was slumped across him, looking much older than Diablo remembered. 

        "Thanks." Croc growled from behind him. His hood was soaked.

        "What happened? You guys alright?" 

        "Not really, amigo." Floyd rubbed at his eyes, "They took my guns and shoved us in a sewer." 

        "Oh." Diablo shifted, glancing at Croc. All he did was shrug. "That sucks, man." 

        "It sure fucking does." 

        They didn't say much else. What could they say? Everything in the situation screamed, 'Hopeless!' Karma was finally creeping up on them in one fatal blow. Diablo followed Deadshot's lead and sat across from him as Croc left to hunt for some rats to eat. Chato stared at the man in front of him. The man he knew for a day and maybe the last man he'll talk to. 

        "You said you had a daughter." He blurts out. Floyd lifts his head, raising his brows. 

        "Yeah." He answers, staring at his hands. "Her name's Zoe. She's twelve."

        "She won't be for long. Kids grow up real fast and then they start dating and high school and it's just..." Diablo breathes out a laugh, "It's like one say they're there and then the next they're just... gone." 

        "I know. Now, whenever I try to help her with homework, she ends up teaching me." Chato laughs with him and Floyd finally looks up, smiling, "You got kids?" His smile vanished when he heard what he said, "Sorry, I forgot-" 

        "Nah, man. It's fine." Chato closed his eyes at the thought of his kids, "I had a daughter, Maria and my son, Bruno. Maria was my oldest, ten years old. Bruno was eight." His lips twitched as the memories flew around his head, "Bruno would be your daughter's age by now." 

        Floyd didn't answer, processing the information. He doesn't want to lose Zoe and go through what Chato's going through. From the moment the shooter spotted the ex-gang leader, he saw a broken man that couldn't fixed. ' _I could be next_.' He thinks to himself. _'That clown could still get to Zoe._ '

        "Floyd Lawton." He says, breaking the silence.

        "Huh?"

        "You didn't know my actual name." He sent his usual smirk, "I'm Floyd Lawton." 

        Chato laughed. Genuinely laughed. "Chato Santana." They shared a laugh for a moment, the silencing taking over once again. Diablo looked up thoughtfully, "I think my brother-in-law's gonna kill me today." 

        "That crazy guy we ran into at Adelram's?" 

        "Yeah, that one." 

        "I think we're all gonna die today." He professed, glancing at the other end of the room, "We _are_ kind of fucked."

        "I know."

        "Hey guys!" Croc turned around, baring his bloody teeth in a smile. His hand was clutching a headless rat. The other two grimaced. 

        "Oh c'mon, man! You don't need to show us that!"

         "But look, a tunnel." Waylon gestured to the thing below them. Floyd was up in a second, already peering through the metal bars of the hole. Chato followed close behind. 

        "I don't know if anyone noticed, but none of us can squeeze through the bars." Diablo drawled. Without another word, Croc bent the bars. They could fit, now. Floyd gave a low whistle. "Never mind then." He shrugged. 

        "Well, dunno 'bout you guys but I'm out." Deadshot grinned, already positioning himself to escape through the tunnel. Croc and Diablo stood close, waiting for their turn. 

        A loud, screeching echoed from upstairs. They froze, wide eyed. Footsteps. A whole lot of them came stomping down the short flight of stairs. They're here. 

        "Get out of here. I'll hold 'em off." Chato hissed, already turning towards the stairs. Croc didn't argue, patting the Latino on the shoulder and making his way through the tunnel. Deadshot shook his head, tugging him towards the tunnel.

        "We should leave together, we need the numbers." 

        "Nah, go keep your daughter safe, Floyd." Diablo dismissed, shooting him a grin. "I got this." Floyd shook his head. He had to leave soon, the footsteps were getting louder. "They only want me." With that last plead, he backed off, glancing one last time at the creaking stairs above. 

        "You're crazy." And with that, he was gone. Inhaling deeply, Chato turned towards the stairs, his arms stretched out towards him. His hands heated up and he grinned at the old feeling. Despite everything, he will never stop being El Diablo, and he won't go down without an inferno.  

        When the first face appeared, the heat in his hands turned to fire. They came in waves, group by group getting closer and closer with every person burned. One got too close, his screams sent shameful chills of adrenaline through his veins as the man collapsed on the floor. They were getting too close now. 

        "Fuck it." Diablo muttered, letting the heat spread through his body. He was on fire. 

        The men backed off for a moment, but then attacked all at once. Diablo resorted to fiery punches. He held them off for a little while, but their numbers seemed to increase every time he took one out. Soon enough, a gun was fired and it hit his blazed skin. The bullet buried itself into his leg and just like that, he was on the ground, the fire gone.  ' _I did what I could, Floyd.'_ He thought as one of Gabriel's lackeys gave a kick in the head. 

...

        "What happened to you guys?" Jester smirked, watching Gabriel's burnt out men drag an unconscious Diablo out the staircase. One of them sent a dirty look. Gabriel sat across from him, gracefully drinking the tea the teen had offered earlier. The man placed the cup on the saucer, staring at his old friend. Jester also frowned at the sight of him. His sewer stench is invading his space. "What are you gonna do with him?"

        "Everything I can think of." Jester didn't answer, sipping his tea thoughtfully as they struggled to drag his body across the room. Gabriel stood up, brushing off his clothes. He nods, "Send your father my regards." 

        "Sure thing." He dismissed, still staring at Chato. Out of everyone in that squad, Diablo was his favourite (other than his mother, of course.) Diablo had cool tattoos, fire powers, he was even sorta nice and stuff. _'It's too bad he was a traitor.'_ The voice whispered. He pursed his lips, standing up."Hey, wait!" Gabriel paused, raising his brows, "Before you do... whatever you're gonna do. I want to talk to him first. I need answers."  _'What are you doing? What are you doing?'_ His voice whispered, _'He's a traitor.'_  "Shut up." He muttered, watching Diablo's unconcious body be dragged out the room. A man like him... A good guy like him wouldn't betray like that, it doesn't make sense. At least before he dies, Jester could ask the question, _"Why?"_

        "Did you say something?" 

        "No." 

        Gabriel eyed him, brows furrowed, "Look, Mr. J said I could have him all to myself-"

        "And I say I want to talk to him." Jester bargained, "Ten minutes, tops." 

        "Five minutes." 

        "Seven." 

        "Deal." 

        Instead of shaking hands, Jester turned to retreat to his office. He doesn't even know what he's doing anymore. What side is he even on? 

        "Hey, Jester." 

        Jesse spun around, pulling his gritted teeth into a smile, "Yes?"

        "I'm gonna kill him." He said, gesturing to Chato. "I might torture him first, though. I'm pretty busy today, so maybe tomorrow." Seeing Jester's questioning look, he added, "You were wondering, weren't you?" 

        "Yeah." The teen answered halfheartedly. He shook himself quickly, sending the man a grin, "Yeah, okay! Have fun!"

        "Oh, and I think Deadshot and the crocodile escaped."


	14. We're All Running Out of Time

"I'm sorry, what?" 

        "You said there'd be two men in the prison, including Chato and the crocodile. My men didn't see either of 'em," Gabriel shrugged, slithering towards the door, "good luck handling that, kid. Come to my place tomorrow night if you really want to see Chato." 

...

        "You let them escape an hour after I left you with them?" Jester shifted in his seat, staring at his hands. He felt six-years-old again, facing his father after he accidentally knocked down his favourite machete. "Look at me." He tilted his head up slightly, catching his father's eye. The man looked completely calm, scary-like calm. "You... let them escape... an hour after I left you with them." He repeated,  

        The teen inhaled sharply at the statement. Fighting the urge to look back down, he tilted his chin up, looking right in the eye, "Yes, I did," 

        Joker tsked, twirling his cane. He was circling him like a predator, "That's... _disappointing_." He stopped abruptly, swinging around and lifting his chin up with the cane. Jester held himself from flinching, "Gabe told me you wanted to speak with Fire Guy," the man smiled, "explain please." 

        "T-the," dammit, he stuttered. Now his father was _really_ looking at him, ready for him to crack. "the voices." He blurted, "They told me to do it." It was a viable excuse... kind of. He knew his father had voices in him to.

        "Oh, Jester, Jester, Jester," He put down the cane, instead grabbing his son's face with both hands, "Jester. You should know by now the voices... don't listen to 'em. They're all wackos anyway!" He wheezed, patting him on the cheek. He jumped onto his feet and dances out his office. "And I want the shooter guy's and the crocodile's heads on my desk tomorrow. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock..." 

        _Liar, liar, liar, liar..._

        "Go fuck yourselves, guys." Jester whispered to them. They didn't shut up. 

... 

        Jester canceled all his meetings. The Joker didn't tell him what would happen if he didn't bring Croc and Deadshot to his doorstep, but he knows it won't be good. Son or not. Despite his reluctance, he went to the one person that hears everything. He couldn't believe he's gotten this desperate. _'No, you're not desperate.'_ One of the voices spoke, _'You're scared. Of him. Of what he'll do to you.'_

        "You guys are real chatty today." Jesse muttered, putting up his hood. He decided to change into something less eye-catching. A camo hoodie and black jeans. At least when he gets there he'll have enough time to snoop around before he gets recognized and possibly killed. 'Oh well.' He thinks to himself, letting his feet drag him towards Wayne Manor. 

        He didn't know why he would even think of doing this in the first place. Jester stood face-to-face with the well known butler, Alfred. 

        "Long time, no see, Alfred," he smiled, putting his hands up and wiggling his fingers, "don't worry. No weapons on me, see?" 

        "What are you doing here, you criminal?" 

        "That's not how you treat a guest." Jesse chided. He took a step forward, hearing the familiar chime of the safety turning off. With a smile he added, "Where do you get a butler like this, Brucey?" A dark figure jumped down from above. Batman. Alfred lowered his gun, albeit stubbornly. Batman stood up, the one part of his face, the mouth, turned downwards. "Whoops, or do you prefer Batman? Or Batsy?" 

        "What are you doing here, Jester? Are you insane?" 

        "I think you know the answers to both questions." 

        "I must interrupt," Alfred cut in, turning to Bruce, "but must you always make such an entrance? It's beginning to damage the floor." Jester chuckled, raising his brows. Alfred quickly excused himself, strolling away from the criminal and the hero. 

        "Thank you for the good point, Alfred." The teen turned, his eyes narrowed, "Deadshot and Killer Croc are on the run. Almost all of them are on the run." 

        "Including you," Grunted Bruce, "give me one reason not to drag you back to Arkham Asylum right now." 

        "Um, hello!" Jester waved his arms, lips pursed, "I just revealed that I know your secret identity. And you don't even gasp, not even an eyebrow raise!" _Out of time... Running out of time..._ "I know you have the locations of Deadshot and Croc. Give them to me and your identity will be out of harm's way." 

        "How did you find out?" 

        "There's only so many people in Gotham that can afford the amount of repairs the Batmobile goes through," he answers smoothly, "their location, Batsy. I need it. Now." 

        "One more question." 

        Jester growled, ruffling his already messy hair. "What?" He hissed, 

        "Why do you need it?" Bruce questioned. Jester hesitated, glancing at his watch. _Running out of time_. The probability of Batsy giving him their location after Jesse tells him he's planning to kill them is too low to risk. But he was getting real desperate for answers. 

        "My Father gave orders to kill them." 

        "Is that what you want to do?"

        "You said that was the last question." 

        "One more won't hurt." Bruce stared him down in that sickening _superhero_ way. The way that said, I-can-help-you, with an under layer of pure pity. "You were a team for a while. All of you must've bonded," _Running out of time._ "do you really want to kill them?" 

        "So what if I don't he told me to and if I don't he'll kill me and I really don't want that to happen okay?! Was that the answer you wanted, Brucey Boy?!" 

        "Jester, " There it was again. That stare. "let me help you."

        "Throwing me into Arkham isn't help." He sounded so tired, even to his own ears. "Their location, Batman."

        "I can't give you their location with your intentions in mind. I'm sorry." He calmly walked away. Jester didn't stop him, too dumbfounded to do anything. He should've got the location first before giving information. The teen really needed to get back in the game. He snapped out of his trance, cursing. 

        "Get back here you measly rat with wings!" He screamed, his voice bouncing around Wayne Manor. "How dare you?!" 

        He might've spend hours, minutes, just screaming into the endless space of Wayne Manor. _Running out of time..._ The tick tock of the clock was driving him mad. He needed to find them. He had to. 

        A couple hours left. And he has no information, no clues, no evidence. The sun was beginning to rise. 

...

        Ow. Everything seemed to hurt. Chato shifted, the bruises stabbing into his skin. Hell, even his eyelids hurt. Fighting the pain, he squinted. The first thing he saw was stained cement wall. And he finally registered the drunken laughter behind him and the scratchy floor he's laying on. The memories of last night's debacle hit him. He let his eyes close, wondering if Floyd got to go back to his daughter and where Croc could have possibly gone. A man such as Waylon can't go far, especially since they escaped in the day. 

        "Hey Gabriel, I think he's awake!" 

        Diablo heard the cage door swing open, he didn't move, keeping his eyes closed.  Crunching footsteps stalked closer and closer. A foot collided with his stomach. He still didn't move, not even a sound. A familiar 'tsk' came from above him. 

        "You've always been a bad actor," said Gabriel, nudging the body below him, "get up." 

        Begrudgingly, Diablo slowly opened his eyes, squinting slightly. He got up, taking a bit longer than he liked. Gabriel waited, patient. Chato eyed him carefully, backing away a bit. He knew Gabriel inside and out, it was an advantage he didn't know if he should use. Then again, Gabriel knew him, too. They were even. They always have been. 

        "You're going to kill me," he states, searching for something in Gabriel's green eyes. They were steeled eyes, like a man who's seen too much. "and you won't make it quick."

        His lips quirked, sliding down the wall and sitting with a heaving sigh. He ran his hands through his raven curls. "Yeah, you're right," He paused, his lips still pulled in a bitter smile, "you deserve it." 

        "I know." 

        "Why'd you do it?" 

        "I didn't." 

        "Don't lie." 

        "I don't know." 

        Gabriel didn't say anything else, nodding. He stood up, moving towards the exit. Diablo stared as he grabbed the door, his knuckles white. "If the the kid didn't want to talk to you tonight, you'd be dead by now."

        "I know."

        The door banged shut, leaving an echoing creak shoot across the prison. 

...

        Jester was slowly going insane. At least, whatever sanity he had left was slowly draining out of him as he sat on the grass, watching the sun rise. The last time he had sat down to watch the sun, his parents were dead and the world was ending. But this time, he's sat down to watch the sun to contemplate how he's going to tell his father that he's failed to follow his orders yet again.

        'The sun rises too quickly.' Jesse thinks, ignoring the shouting whispers hiding in the back of his head. _Can't run forever... Running out of time... Run forever... Can't run... Out of time..._

        The teen never liked watching the sun rise, but just this once, he doesn't mind. 

...

        "We have to find Rick," urged June, tugging on Tatsu's sleeve, "he can help and we can go back to Waller-"

        "Why do you always run back to Rick when you're in need?" Tatsu questioned, staring at her sword. After Joker's men threw them out without any ounce of dignity left in either women, Tatsu had given up, sitting on the docks beside Spades HQ. It was oddly stupid of her to do, out of character. 

        "Rick can help us-"

        "He can, but what can he do?" She hissed, "you act as if only Rick can come and save us. Like he can solve all your problems when you can easily solve them yourself." 

        June stopped, her eyes fixed into a glare, "What are you trying to say?" 

        "You're dependent, weak! The only reason you're here is because of the demon inside you!" She could feel her voice slowly rising, her insides felt like fire. It's been a while since she's felt like this. She has a complete right to be angry. What had only started out as a babysitting job turned into something very emotional, too sentimental than what she's comfortable with. "You shouldn't have been here."

        "I didn't want to be here but I am, now! So, we're just gonna have to deal with the problem right now or you can sit here and glare at seagulls!" She inhaled sharply, tears poking out her eyes, "You can call me dependent and weak, but don't blame me for being here. If you don't want Rick's help, that's fine. Come up with other options." Then she sat down next to her, glaring at the seagulls. 

...

        "We shouldn't have left Diablo there, man." Said Floyd, looking up at Waylon. The man grunted, sloshing through the dirty water. Being two wanted criminals, they couldn't risk being out in the open. So, they took to the sewers, Croc finally going back to his home waters. 

        "That's what he wanted. It's not our fault." He answered, handing the other man a contaminated flashlight he'd found on the floor. Deadshot grimaced at the wet object, but used it anyway. He relaxed a bit now that he could see. 

        "Weren't you two friends? I always saw you two hiding in the back. Thought we wouldn't have noticed?" 

        "I wouldn't have cared if you and those dimwits noticed or not." Croc sighed, making a calculated turn. Deadshot scrambled to follow. "I've known Diablo for a weekend, but I know he would've gave his life for any half-assed excuse that came his way. Don't go thinking he sacrificed himself for us, that ain't the only reason." 

        "What do you- Oh," he paused, "you sure?" 

        "I can tell." 

        Floyd stayed silent for a short moment, finally clearing his throat, "do you know where we're going?"

        "I got an old friend," Croc grumbled, mumbling to himself. They continued to journey through the sewers. Floyd began to notice the odd plant popping up from time to time. Those odd plants began to pop up more and more, until they were stuck in a place that could be equivalent to the Amazon forest. "Yo, Ivy!" 

        "Croc, honey," came a purr from above, the men looked up, seeing a towering figure jump from one of the plants, "as fresh as ever, I see. How was prison?" 

        "Who's this?" Asked Floyd, pointing at the red-head, "Never would've thought you'd have a girl." 

        "Whatever, Mr. Divorcee." Croc shot back. He gestured to the grinning girl in green, "This is Poison Ivy. We've... had a history." 

        "That's an understatement." The girl scoffed,

        "Ivy," Croc continued, "this is Deadshot. He's tried to kill Batman." 

        "I guess we'll get along then." She smiled, giving out her gloved hand, "It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." Deadshot hesitantly shook her hand, eyeing her uneasily. "There's a lot I have to catch you up on, Croc. This is my new plant. Here, take a look." 

        That's when the room began to spin. The colours began to change. Deadshot backed away, knocking over a potted plant. Just before the colours turned to black, he spotted Croc collapse in front of him. The blurry image of Ivy waved goodbye. 


	15. Betrayal or Simple Stupidity?

Rick was a man who followed orders. A lawful neutral type of man. So, babysitting those insane criminals shouldn't have affected him at all. But it did. And he regretted it. He wondered if Tatsu was going through the same thing, probably not. Katana had a steel heart and a hardened soul, she wouldn't let these things get the best of her. But damn, he wasn't a lady with a soul-sucking katana.

        Jake stumbled after him, poking at his shoulder. He also probably shouldn't have brought a rookie on a mission like this, either. He was a man of many, many mistakes. Rick turned to him, raising his brows. He didn't want to break the tense silence between him and his men. 

        "What are we going to do now?" Asked Jake. The men shot him a small glare as the silent illusion shattered. Though it was a good question. They've been wandering around the streets of Gotham for what must've been hours. The people around them didn't bat an eye at the team. There must loads of people like this in Gotham, seeing how their common savior was a man dressed as a bat. 

        "I don't know." Rick confessed, looking around the busy streets, "I guess we go back to Waller. Deal with the consequences." 

        "They were coming back."

        "But they didn't. That was on me. I'm sorry," the colonel shook his head, "I should've never trusted criminals in the first place." 

        Jake sighed, "They didn't seem like bad guys. Do you think it was an act?" 

        "That's what makes them so evil." He took out his walkie-talkie, hesitantly pressing the speak button, "Hey Waller, it's Flag." 

...

        "I know I can't stay here forever." Jester whispered to them, "An hour or two isn't forever."

        He wanted to stay forever. Damn, did he want to. But he couldn't. He got up slowly, his eyes closed as he breathed in the deserted Gotham air that smelt like gasoline and sea. He let himself walk to wherever he was going. Maybe he'll walk forever, who knows?

...

        "Damn plant chick!" Deadshot cursed, scratching at the vine wrapped around his ankles. Croc sat below him, tangled up in a plant himself. Though unlike Croc, who was sitting on the ground, Deadshot was hung upside down, hanging on by two vines. He glared at Croc below him, "I thought you said you two were friends." 

        " _Old_ friends," Croc grumbled, "it's complicated." 

        "Oh, I bet. What did you do?"

        "She told me she liked me and I almost ate her." 

        "And you thought it would be a good idea to go to her for help?" 

        Croc grunted, still struggling against the curling plant. "Not my greatest plan."

        "I frankly agree." Ivy waltzed into the greenhouse, her flourishing red hair bouncing behind her. Deadshot couldn't conceal a groan. He was getting too old for this shit. "Your wanted signs have been popping up are all over Gotham in the span of a couple hours. Who have you pissed off this time, my green friend?"

        "Amanda Waller." Answered Waylon. "...And the Joker." He paused again, "And the Joker's son." 

        "And Batman." Floyd added. Croc shot him a glare. He ignored it. "Don't forget Batman." 

        "That's a long list of people. I'd hate to add my name to the list." There was an undertone of a threat in the woman's voice. "I need something from both of you. Then, I'll let you both go."

        "What do you want, Ivy?"

        "My girl, Harley, she was on your little suicide mission." Explained Ivy. "How is she? She safe? What about Jesse?"

        "They're both safely back in the arms of the Joker. That green-headed goblin." Floyd muttered under his breath. Croc growled quietly at the mention of him. "Why do you care?"

        "Because they're friends, practically my family." She sniffed, her eyes boring into both of them, "Not that you know what that means."

        "Doesn't matter now. They're traitors." Croc muttered. 

        "Not possible, hon. They're the most loyal people I've come across in my line of work." 

        "Tell that to the Joker." 

        Ivy's face twisted with disgust. "Don't say that name around me. He's a real pain in the ass. Didn't know what Harls saw in him in the first place." She snapped her fingers, and the vines around Waylon slowly retracted. Deadshot's vines retracted too, just not as slow as Croc's. Not slow at all, really. He landed on the ground with a loud grunt. "And Jester's with him too, you said?" 

        Croc stood up, Floyd's curses filling up the room. The other two ignored him. "Yeah, sold us out at Adelram's and ditched with his parents. Don't blame him. Still hurts though." Croc shrugged, poking at another plant. Deadshot sat away from most of them, glaring at each weed.

        "Adelram's? But he hates Adelram." 

        "Doesn't matter who you hate or don't hate if you're desperate enough." Deadshot grumbled, batting away a overly-sized venus-fly trap. Ivy rolled her eyes. "We all would've done the same thing." 

        She shakes her head. "No, none of this adds up. Jester wouldn't just abandon you like that." 

        "But he did." 

        "But he wouldn't." Ivy argued. She snapped. Her plants slithered towards Deadshot, he scrambled away, but to no avail, the vines wrapped around his neck.

        "What the hell, Ivy?" Croc growled, towering over her. She didn't move an and neither did her plants. Floyd gagged, he felt his ears popping. "Get the fuck off him!" The vines wrapped tighter and tighter, Floyd getting more red-faced. Ivy furrowed her brows, a smug smirk growing on her lips. A giant venus fly trap kept Croc from getting to her. She snapped again, both plants retreating. 

        "Just as I suspected," she hummed, rubbing the head of her plant affectionately, "your trackers are turned off. Jester must've turned them off for you." 

        "Did you really have to prove it that way?" Floyd gasped, massaging his neck, "I almost died at the hands of a houseplant." 

        "Jeffery is not just a houseplant!" 

        Croc growled, waving away his own plant, "How'd you even know about the trackers?" 

        "Plants are surprisingly big on the whole gossip scene." She answered, gesturing to the door. "Let's go." 

        "Huh?"

        "Let's go." Repeated Ivy, pointing at the door again, "We're getting Harley and Jester." 

        "We just escaped from their hell-prison." Croc grunted. "Don't think they want to be saved." 

        The woman shrugged, beckoning them over. "Fine. Keep an eye on my lovelies, would you?" The plants around them wriggled, it was like they were  laughing at them. 

        "Nope. Fuck that, man. I'm not staying with these weed demons alone." Ivy smirked, speaking up again. 

        "Speaking of weed demons," She snapped her fingers and a couple vines slithered down with a body wrapped around it. Croc would've assumed it was dead if it weren't wriggling around so much. "I believe you know this man." Digger. Of course. 

        "What the fuck?!" 


	16. You Shouldn't Be

The last place Jester expected his legs to carry him was his father's office. 'Can't escape the inevitable.' He thought, shaking his head as he lingered at the doorway. 'Here we go.' He winced at the prolonged creak the door made as he entered. Jesse remembered giving this office to his father as a thank you gift for getting him his HQ, cleaning and decorating the room all by himself, even going as far as getting rid of the dead bodies in it instead of getting one of his employees. 

       Joker's glass desk sat in front of the mirror, the office chair accompanying it facing away from the weapons' dealer. He could barley see his father's head right over the furniture. "You didn't knock." The man drawled. Jester suddenly felt a lot smaller than he was moments before. 

        "I'm sorry." He said. 

        "Do you have the heads?" 

        Cotton was stuck in his throat as Jester croaked out a weak, "No." 

        "Why not?" Jesse hasn't felt fear like this in a long time. His heart was stuttering too much to be healthy. 

        "I- I," he swallowed, fuck, fuck he stuttered. The Joker turned his chair, a lazy look gracing his face. "I wasn't able to find them. I looked everywhere and I just sent some men out to keep looking for them but I-" 

        Joker slammed his fists against the glass desk. A thin crack split into the glass. Jester ducked his head, closing his eyes. He heard Joker only sigh in disappointment, the desk shaking again. "How... disappointing. I thought I told you to not come back until you kill them both. I thought you were better than this, Kiddo." 

        "I know. I'm sorry."

        "You've disappointed me." 

        He bit the inside of his cheek, cursing himself and his trembling bottom lip. "I'm sorry." He said again. 

        "Stop. Apologizing." There was a click then cold metal was pressed up against his temple. His eyes snapped open, breath caught in his throat. Joker's wide, lightning blue eyes staring at him. The man was growling like a wild animal. Suddenly, this man wasn't his father. He was an unpredictable dealer that doesn't bargain. Jesse could feel those blue eyes trail all around him, his heart beating out his chest. The gun pressed harder against the side of his head. A smile befell Joker's crimson lips. "Oh Jester, I would never kill you." Despite what he said, the gun didn't leave his head. "Not when you give me those... puppy dog eyes." He laughed. Jester forced himself to chuckle with him. 

          The gun slowly dropped, though it didn't give the weapons dealer any relief. If anything, it put him more on edge. He could never predict his father even with years of practice. Suddenly a fist flew in the air, impacting his cheek. A sharp, burning sensation stabbed into his thigh. Jesse's knees buckled, a cry escaping his lips. The Joker took a small step back, twirling one of Jester's throwing knives in his hand. The red and black weapon was slick with his blood. 

        Jesse's shaking hand lingered over his bloody leg, chest heaving. "Get out of my office." Joker said calmly, turning and walking towards his cracked desk. The teen grunted, the pain flaring up in big waves. _'Get out of the office.'_ The voices begged. _'Get out of his office before he kills you.'_

He stumbled out of the room, shutting the door as quietly as he could. The last thing he wanted was to prompt him. 

....

        "Got any ideas?" 

        Tatsu glared at the rising sun, she could feel her sword tingle with whispers of the dead. "No." Said Katana. June sighed, lying down on the damp ground. The silence took over once again. June was usually a fan of the quiet, but not this kind of silence. This kind of silence is the kind of silence that makes you feel like there are a million pairs of eyes watching you, your stomach twists, but you can't go anywhere because no matter where you go there will always be that silence. June hated this silence. 

        "I know you're not the talkative type, but you could at least stop glaring at me like that." She said. 

        "Shh." 

        "Okay, now you're just being-" 

        "No. Shut up." She pointed at the sky. June's eyes trailed over the general direction, catching sight of a incoming chopper. 'After the two helicopter incidents, they would've thought to find another mode of transportation.' Thought the archaeologist. She shook her head, narrowing her eyes and looking closer. 

        "It's your boyfriend." Tatsu mumbled, hauling herself up from the wooden deck. Puffing her cheeks out, June reluctantly followed suit, glaring into the distance. "I guess he did come to the rescue after all." 

        Something. _Something_ June couldn't recognize lit up in her gut. Anger glazed her veins as she dragged Tatsu into one of the stockrooms behind the HQ. "No." She hissed. "You're not going to say, 'I told you so.' We're going to save Chato without Rick's help. I know we can." 

        "You're being stupid again." 

        "Maybe I am! But we both know Waller won't bother saving him and Rick won't stand up to her. They're going to leave him to die unless we do something about it." Tatsu's mouth twitched into... something, June found it hard to read the other woman. 

        Finally, she said something, "There's nothing we can do." She sounded deflated. June didn't even know Tatsu could even sound like that. She normally sounded so... tough.

        "We can save him." 

        "That's impossible."  

        "Not with that fucking attitude!" She snapped, grabbing her arm. Instinctively, Tatsu's hand hovered over her sword, lips twisted into a deep frown. "If there's anything we should be doing right now, it's saving Chato. He's the last person out of all of us who deserves what he's getting." 

          Fuck, June was right. Tatsu knew she was right. Muttering a few foreign curses, Tatsu turned away from the archaeologist. She pointed in the direction of the HQ. "I know where Gabriel's gang subsides. I did a job there a couple years ago. If Chato's held by Gabriel, he would be there."

          The other woman brightened, pointing towards the HQ. "Let's go then!"

          "What about your boyfriend?" 

           "Fuck my boyfriend." Tatsu raised her brows as June paused. "I mean, I still love him, but damn, he seriously needs to chill out sometimes, you know?" 

            She pursed her lips, shaking her head. "Sure. Let's go now."

...

            "What the hell is the Aussie, doin' here?" Croc said, poking Digger in the cheek. The Aussie grunted, still hanging on the vines.

              Ivy sighed dramatically, leaning against one of her giant plants. "He wandered into my lair. And then he tried to _flirt with me_ , if it could even count as flirting." She rolled her eyes, scoffing. "I thought you'd want him back." 

              "No way, Lady. You can take him." Deadshot glared at the upside down figure. "He's an asshole and a traitor." 

               "Tha' not- Mmph!" A vine crawled over Digger's mouth, blocking his accented voice. 

               "Shut it, you." Ivy snapped. The vines recoiled all at once. His body dropped to the floor harshly as Digger gave out a loud yelp. "Well, I'm not keeping him, either. We'll let him go and get caught by Waller." 

                "Wai'," Boomer panted, still on the floor, "jus' a damn second." 

                "What?" Said Croc, kicking him over. Digger rolled away slightly, groaning. 

                "Okay, I admi', I made some mistakes. Bu' does tha' mean you should hand your good ol' friend to Waller?" 

                "Yes." 

                "No! Of course no'!" Said Digger. "I can help ya! I can, I swear!" 

                Floyd and Croc traded knowing looks, turning back to the Aussie. "Explain." 

                "I dropped one them microphones in the alcohol holder while I swiped some of his drinks." He grinned. "It'll help us sneak in and get the tyke and Harls'." 

                Croc stared him down as sweat dribbled down Digger's neck. Suddenly, he shrugged. "Why not, I guess?" 

                "Croc!" Deadshot cried. Ivy snickered, gesturing to the door. 

                "Are we going or not?" The boys shuffled through the exit, Deadshot still grumbling as he shot glares at Boomer's back. Ivy, who was behind the trio, simply shook her head. "Can't believe Harls had to deal with this." She muttered to herself as she also followed them through the exit. 

...

                "Mum?" Jester croaked, panting and leaning heavily against the wall. He had bounded down the hallway after Joker sent him out of his office, only making it a couple feet away before nearly collapsing. His hand still hovered over his burning leg wound, vision blurred. "Mum!" _Don't be too loud, he'll hear you._ "Shut up." He said through gritted teeth but still lowering his volume. 

                "Jesse? Pumpkin, oh my God!" Harley cried, racing towards her son. A relieved smile quirked his lips as he finally let his knees buckle completely. "What happened? Who the hell did this to you?!" 

                It was a quick and stupid decision. Should he tell her and risk her rebelling against his father only to get her killed or keep it hush hush?

                "It's not important right now." Jester groaned. "Can I- Can you get bandages or somethin'?" 

                She shook her head, wrapping her arm around his waist and putting his arm over her shoulders. "After you stop bleeding and shit, you better spill it young man." 

                "Sure thing, Mum." His eyelids felt heavier and heavier every time he blinked. Guilt flushed his veins as he gave more and more weight for his mom to carry. But everything was just getting so _heavy._ "Promise." He slurred. What a fucking liar.

                He woke up in his office, lying down on the love couch across his desk. The teen winced as the light pierced his vision. Was that an IV needle in his arm? His eyes trailed the tube to a bag of blood hanging on a stand beside him. The door swung open, revealing Harley. Her usual flashy dress was ruined by blood stains and her smile looked tired. "How ya feeling, Pumpkin? You lost a lot of blood." 

                "Who's blood is this?" Asked Jester. The woman shrugged innocently. 

                "Turns out the janitor has the same blood type as you. He just needed a little... convincing, before he decided sharing is caring." That explains the blood then. She sat on the end of the couch, resting her hand on his ankle like she did when he was sick. "What happened?" 

                Fucking shit, he couldn't escape this time. _You can't tell her. You can't tell her now._ "Mom. I just- I..." He bit his lip to keep it from trembling. "I- I can't tell you." 

                Seeing her deflate like that was worse than a stab to the leg and he should know. "Why not? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

                "I just... I just can't." 

                She nodded, standing up and ruffling his hair. "If you ever change your mind, just come up to me. And if you want, I can beat their ass for you." Sending one more encouraging smile that made his heart wrench, Harley left the room, the door shutting quietly.

                'Good job, asshole.' Jester thought to himself. 'What kind of person is a jerk to their mom?' He turned his head, catching sight of the mirror across from him and wow, did he look like shit. His normally spiky red hair was flat against his forehead, which was disgustingly sweaty. The bags under his eyes were deeper than usual and his lips were red from his constant chewing that day. There are streaks on his face. Tears. He was crying. "Stop." He said aloud. "Stop crying." Anger flared in his gut as he stared at himself longer and longer. "Stop crying!" Shards of glass fell to the floor and his fist was bloody. 

               He had to leave or he'll truly go insane. 

... 

               Jester didn't bother knocking as he went straight into the den. Gabriel's people were still loitering around the trailer park, glaring daggers into his back. He didn't care enough at this point to glare back. He went straight towards the biggest trailer, Gabriel's trailer. 

                The people smoking around the small automobile pulled out their guns. Jester couldn't help but roll his eyes at the action. "I'm a friend of Gabriel's. No need to be so dramatic." 

                The door swung open, revealing the gang leader he was looking for. "To what do I owe the pleasure at this late hour? Isn't it past your bedtime?" His gang members laughed as Jester took another step forward. 

                "Like we promised, I get to talk to Chato." He said with a fake grin. Silence fell over them in an instant. No one dared to breathe as Gabriel narrowed his eyes at the teen. 

                "Like we promised." The man echoed. He exited the trailer, whispering something to one of the men by his door. Gabriel brushed past him, "He's this way." 

                He was holding him in a wooden shed. Jesse didn't even know trailer parks had sheds. The door opened with a withering creak and Jester winced at what he saw. Chato was stuffed in the corner of his room, sleeping, shivering, and decorated with bruises. One, weak light bulb illuminated the empty room. Jesse shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. 

                "You two have fun." Gabriel muttered, slamming the door. Chato's eyes snapped open, his entire body tenses instantly. He didn't know what to do except stare back at him. The man's stare instantly softened at the familiar sight of the teen. 

                "Chico." He said, his voice soft like it always was. "What are you doing here?" Fuck, what was he doing here? He never actually planned this far ahead. Jester bit his lip, shook his head and shuffled towards the pyrokinetic. He sunk down next to him. It was like everything fell on him all at once. His 'friends' betrayal, his own betrayal, his own father fucking stabbing him in the leg, lying to is mom... Everything wrapped around his lungs and squeezed until he couldn't breathe anymore. "Jesse?" 'Jester' He wanted to correct. But he couldn't speak, he couldn't breathe. 

                "I'm sorry." Was all he could choke out. "I'm so, so sorry."


End file.
